Covid UK news: Country faces tens of thousands of deaths in second wave, Sage expert warns

Sheffield mayor Dan Jarvis’ full statement on the new measures for South Yorkshire can be found below:

“Following extensive discussions with ministers, local council leaders and I have agreed with government that South Yorkshire will move into Tier 3, the 'very high' alert level for coronavirus restrictions.

“The restrictions will come into force from 00:01 on Saturday 24 October and cover all four local authority areas - Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

“We all recognise the gravity of the situation and have taken the responsible route to ensure we save lives and livelihoods, and protect our NHS. More older people are contracting the virus.

“The number of people with Covid in our hospitals has doubled over the last ten days, with no signs this will relent over the coming weeks. Inaction was not an option.

“We called on government to offer a local lockdown lifeline for our local authorities and economy, and the new restrictions will be introduced alongside resources which mean we are better equipped to control the virus and limit some of the damage on jobs and businesses.

“While infection rates vary across South Yorkshire, collective action was the only practical choice to keep everyone in our region safe.

“If restrictions are effective, individual local authorities will be able to move to lower alert levels as soon as it is safe to do so, in consultation with fellow local leaders, myself and national government.

“However, to reach that point as quickly as possible, it's critical people in South Yorkshire follow the new restrictions as soon as they are in place. I want to thank everyone in the region for their perseverance.

“The character and grit of people in South Yorkshire will be needed in abundance to help us get through what will be an incredibly challenging period.

“Our NHS staff have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic to keep us all safe. We owe it to them to ease the pressure ahead of the toughest winter our health service will ever face. I know people will step up and do their bit.”

Our reporter, Kate Ng, has more below on the breaking news from South Yorkshire:

More than seven million people to be under toughest restrictions by end of this week

With 1.4 million people in South Yorkshire joining the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire in Tier 3, there will soon be 7.3 million people (13 per cent of England’s population) living under the toughest coronavirus restrictions.

It is understood that the government’s financial package for South Yorkshire will be worth £41m, including £30m to support the region's businesses, and £11m for councils to support measures such as test and trace.

Gyms to reopen in Liverpool City Region under Tier 3 lockdown, mayor says

Gyms will be allowed to reopen in the Liverpool City Region under Tier 3 restrictions following discussions with the government, local metro mayor Steve Rotheram has said.

“Collectively, we have consistently requested the scientific evidence that supported the imposition of the suite of measures under Tier 3 and we pointed out the inconsistency of the approach following the announcement that Lancashire would not in fact have exactly the same package of restrictions as our city region,” Mr Rotheram told BBC Radio Merseyside.

“Talks continued until late last night and the government have agreed with the case I put forward on behalf of city region leaders and that they would now bring us in line with other Tier 3 areas.

“This would mean soft play areas would be closed but gyms could reopen.”

Our reporter, Kate Ng, has collected together some of the key coronavirus stories you may have missed overnight below:

Police commissioner calls on government to show how Tier 3 rules fit into ‘long-term strategy’

South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner has called on the government to explain to the public how Tier 3 restrictions for the area are part of a “longer term strategy” to defeat coronavirus.

Dr Alan Billings warned the public would be less willing to follow the rules if they felt restrictions were “reactive” as he urged people to back the new measures.

“If going into Tier 3 is necessary to stop the relentless spread of coronavirus, then the police will have a role in enforcing the new restrictions, for all our sakes,” Dr Billings said.

“Having spoken to the chief constable and senior officers, I have no doubt that they will continue to do this in a proportionate way, but we should be in no doubt that there will be enforcement activity if people wilfully flout the law.

“Of course, the police cannot be everywhere all the time. It is essential, therefore, that we all play our part.”

He added: “Equally, the government need to understand that people will continue to observe the rules as long as they feel that what is being proposed is not just reactive, but part of a longer term strategy to defeat the virus.

“How the Tier 3 restrictions fit into that strategy needs careful, constant and consistent explanation.”

Labour to force vote on ‘fair deal’ for workers hit by lockdown restrictions

Labour will force a vote later today demanding ministers put forward a “fair deal” for areas facing Tier 3 lockdown restrictions, with at least 80 per cent of wages guaranteed for workers in businesses shut down by the measures.

“This is not just a matter of fairness for people in Greater Manchester, but for people across the country who could find themselves in Tier 3 in the weeks ahead,” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said.

“Families and businesses will be deeply anxious that they might not be able to make ends meet under the government’s wholly inadequate proposals.

“The prime minister and the chancellor need to make good on their commitment to the British people to do whatever it takes to help us through this pandemic.”

Labour is also forcing a vote in the Commons today on free school meals for children over the holiday period.

The opposition party is calling for the government to continue “directly funding” free school meals over the school holidays until Easter 2021 to help more than one million children across the country.

Suicidal thoughts increase over first six weeks of lockdown, research finds

One in 10 people had experienced suicidal thoughts by the end of the first six weeks of lockdown, according to new research.

The study, which looked at three “waves” of lockdown between 31 March and 11 May, found the restrictions had a major impact on the UK population's mental health, hitting young people, women and those with pre-existing mental health problems the hardest.

The research, led by the University of Glasgow, found suicidal thoughts increased over the first six weeks of lockdown, with one in 10 people (9.8 per cent) reporting them by the end of this period.

However, other factors related to suicide risk such as symptoms of anxiety, levels of defeat and entrapment decreased across the same period, while depressive symptoms and loneliness remained relatively stable.

“While public health measures, such as lockdown, have been necessary to protect the general population, we know the effects of Covid-19 on the population's mental health and wellbeing are likely to be profound and long-lasting,” Professor Rory O’Connor, from Glasgow University, said.

“The findings from our study, showing in particular the increasing rates of suicidal thoughts, especially among young adults, is concerning and show that we must be vigilant to this at-risk group.”

The study, which surveyed a national sample of 3,077 adults in the UK,  was carried out in collaboration with the Samaritans, the Scottish Association for Mental Health and the Mindstep Foundation.

It assessed a range of mental health factors, including pre-existing mental health problems, suicide attempts and self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, feelings of defeat, feelings of entrapment, mental wellbeing and loneliness.

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Police ‘struggling’ to enforce ‘confusing’ three-tier lockdown rules

Police chiefs have warned they are “struggling” to enforce the latest coronavirus restrictions, which they say have brought further confusion for the public.

“Introducing them in the way that we have done has introduced greater confusion – that’s exactly the crux of the issue here,” Owen Weatherill, from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said.

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