UK imposes toughest lockdowns to get a grip on second wave of Covid 19

London: Millions more people headed into coronavirus lockdowns in Britain on Friday, as the government boosted a jobs support package but acknowledged failures in a hugely expensive testing programme.

Central Manchester was eerily quiet after the central government imposed its most stringent measures on the city and its surrounding region, following bitter resistance from local leaders who wanted more financial aid.

The English county of South Yorkshire will also face the same “very high” alert from Saturday, with many pubs and other hospitality venues closing and residents banned from mixing with others indoors.


The latest measures add to the regions already classed as very high risk or tier three, meaning 7.3 million people in England will be living under England’s toughest restrictions from the weekend.

In addition, the devolved government in Wales ordered its 3.1 million people to stay at home from 6pm on Friday, closing non-food retailers, cafes, restaurants, pubs and hotels for two weeks.

The UK government has warned that other regions could follow as it battles to get a grip on a second wave of Covid-19 that is worsening the highest death toll in Europe, although the government hopes that some normality may return by Christmas.