Boris Johnson announcement: When the PM is expected to announce new restrictions for Mansfield

The Prime Minister is expected to impose tougher restrictions for areas such as Nottinghamshire which have been worst-hit by coronavirus today, in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus across the country.

Areas in the Midlands such as Birmingham have been teetering on the edge of harsher local lockdown restrictions for the last two weeks and with a rising number of cases in Nottinghamshire, towns such as Mansfield are likely to be affected by new measures.

Ministers are said to be considering similar strict new measures for swathes of northern England, amid concerns the virus is spreading out of control.

When will Boris Johnson make the announcement?

Boris Johnson is expected to make a formal announcement of new measures in a statement to MPs on today (Monday, October 12).

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address representatives at around 3.30pm, by announcing the new three-tier system of “local COVID alert levels” across England.

This will come after a COBRA meeting this morning in which the details of the proposed three-stage lockdown system will be finalised.

At around 6pm, Mr Johnson will host a televised press conference alongside Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, to address the public and answer questions.

“This is a critical juncture and it is absolutely vital that everyone follows the clear guidance we have set out to help contain the virus,” Downing Street said.

What are the current restrictions in Nottinghamshire?

There are currently no local lockdown restrictions in Nottinghamshire, despite Nottingham having the highest infection rate in the country last week after a spike in positive cases.

The Mansfield neighbourhoods with the most new Covid-19 cases were revealed last week, as the number of positive tests in some areas creept into double figures.

According to leaked government documents, Nottingham is set to go into the second tier of the new traffic light system for local lockdowns – which would make it illegal to meet other households in your home.

Nottinghamshire’s director of public health Jonathan Gribbin urged people in the region not to meet up indoors on Thursday, after Public Health England data showed 399 new cases were confirmed in the county on Wednesday.

What is the current infection rate in Nottinghamshire?

Since the pandemic began, there have been 6,543 positive coronavirus cases across the region, giving Nottinghamshire a rate of 790 cases per 100,000 people.

In Mansfield, there were 89 new Covid-19 cases between September 30 and October 6 – an increase of 63 compared to the previous week.

The town has a rate of 81 new cases per 100,000 people – while England has an average of 74.

Nottingham has had a total of 5,658 cases since the virus first started and a rate of 1,699.6 cases in every 100,000 people.

In the last week, the city had 2,532 new positive tests between September 30 to October 6, an increase of 2,197 compared with the previous week.

There are 761 coronavirus cases in every 100,000 people in Nottingham, Public Health England have confirmed.

What measures could be implemented in a three-tier lockdown?

In an effort to address the rising infection rates, the Prime Minister will likely introduce a three-tier system for local lockdowns, which would see different parts of England placed into different categories.

Areas that fall into tier one will have fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 of population and will continue to follow national restrictions, such as the "rule of six" and social distancing.

Those in tier two include areas where cases are above 100 per 100,000, with restrictions to be similar to those currently in place in large parts of northern England, including bans on household meetings.

Areas placed into tier three would include those with significantly higher infection rates and will likely face a full lockdown, which would see pubs, cafes and restaurants forced to close.

Will pubs and restaurants close?

Mr Johnson is expected to order tougher restrictions in swathes of the Midlands and northern England, with the worst affected areas facing the possible closure of pubs and restaurants.

Cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle will most likely see hospitality venues forced to shut, as infection rates in these areas continue to soar.

However, a final decision on the time period or extent of the potential closures has not yet been confirmed.

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These are the neighbourhoods in Mansfield with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases

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