World News – GB – 500,000 more people in England expected to dive into Level 3 lockdown from Friday

Nottinghamshire’s other four counties – Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield and Newark and Sherwood – are set to join the toughest restrictions that are forcing pubs to close

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Almost half a million more people in England will dive into a Level 3 lockdown from Friday, it’s understood

Four of Nottinghamshire’s eight boroughs – Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Mansfield and Newark and Sherwood – are expected to have closed pubs and travel and meeting bans imposed from 1201:00

The county’s other four boroughs – Nottingham, Gedling, Rushcliffe and Broxtowe – were already slated to enter a Level 3 lockdown from midnight tonight

The county-wide expansion was agreed to this morning during crucial talks and will be officially announced this afternoon, according to the Mirror

The PA reported that talks between the government and local leaders had ended, but negotiations were underway at 11 a.m. on the exact measures needed

Level 3 rules order pubs and bars to close unless they can function as a restaurant, and alcohol can only be served with « heavy » meals

It is also forbidden for people to meet people who do not belong to their home or their bubble, either indoors or in a private outdoor space such as a garden or a beer garden

People can still meet in parks or open spaces, according to the national rule of six

The addition of the rest of Nottinghamshire will bring the total number of people living below the 37 million level to 8

Meanwhile, West Yorkshire MPs had a meeting Tuesday morning with Health Minister Helen Whately over a possible level 3 move

An MP said the meeting focused on medical statistics, including hospital admissions in the region of 23 million people

The MP said: « the government would like us to upgrade to level 3 fairly soon given where things stand »

But they added that there was no agreement with the board leaders yet and no level 3 move has been confirmed

Earlier, Lee Anderson, Tory MP for Ashfield, had said he expected all of Nottinghamshire to be placed at rank 3

He told the Nottingham Post it was « difficult to dispute » the current data, adding: « I was on the phone last night and this morning with senior government officials and other MPs

« I’ll be totally honest with you as I expect the whole of Notts to be upgraded to level 3, this is something I strongly objected to, but the latest numbers are difficult to dispute

« Level 3 will bring challenges, but I will do my best to ensure that our region receives the support it deserves »

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Coronavirus, Lockdown