VIRUS SPREAD
UK coronavirus cases rise above 4,000 for first time since May with 4,322 new infections and 27 deaths in last 24 hours
CORONAVIRUS cases in the UK have risen above 4,000 for the first time since May with 4,322 new infections.
There have been 27 further deaths in the last 24 hours, the Department of Health reported.
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This marks the highest case numbers per day since May 7, which saw 5,086 new cases.
Another 14 people died in hospital in England, aged between 41 and 93.
Public Health Wales said one further person has died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing its total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,601.
Nicola Sturgeon confirmed one more person died from coronavirus in Scotland in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 2,502.
Today, residents in Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Wolverhampton and Merseyside have been handed tough new lockdown rules with a ban on seeing friends from next Tuesday.
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Even more Brits face strict local lockdown measures and curfews will be introduced in Lancashire and Merseyside as the number of new coronavirus cases in Liverpool spiralled to 100.6 cases per 100,000.
It comes as
- Huge parts of the North East were put under strict local lockdown yesterday with 10pm curfews
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned a new national lockdown could be brought in
- Mr Hancock gave Brits a stern warning not to skip self isolation by getting tested
- London could be two weeks away from lockdown with restricted opening hours for pubs and restaurants
- Hundreds of drinkers hit the town for a last boozy night out before a North East lockdown comes into force today
- Scores of coronavirus hotspots across the country have emerged in recent weeks
- Cases of the coronavirus are on the up in almost every region in England according to new data
Huge swathes of the North East - including Newcastle, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Sunderland were slapped with stricter local lockdown measures, which came in at midnight.
And pubs, restaurants and other leisure venues - including cinemas - in Lancashire, Warrington, Halton and Merseyside will have to close at 10pm from Tuesday.
People will also not be allowed to meet with anyone who is outside their household or support bubble in those areas, as well as Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Oadby and Wigston.
Government scientists say they are confident the number is now above the crucial value of 1 which means the virus is growing again.
They estimated the figure to be between a range of 1.1 and 1.4 for the whole of the UK, which has risen from between 1 and 1.2 last week.
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An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) also warns the growth rate - which reflects how quickly the number of infections are changing day-by-day - has increased to between +2 per cent and +7 per cent.
This means that the number of new infections is growing by two and seven per cent every day.
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