People angry about increased coronavirus restrictions across parts of the North East have been directing abuse towards Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes.

He supports the measures, earlier telling the BBC: "Last week 60% of the people that were being tested were between the ages of 18 and 30. That is now starting to reach into older age groups as well.

"We know that when it starts to affect older people that's when you start to get the hospitalisations and sadly also the mortality too.

"That's why we are acting now as a preventative measure to try to put off any further spread of the virus and ensure that we don't end up here in the North East in a more restrictive lockdown instead."

A second national lockdown would be likely to have "disastrous" financial consequences for the UK, the prime minister has said.

Appearing at a committee of MPs, Boris Johnson said the government was doing "everything in our power" to prevent another nationwide lockdown.

Image source, EPA

This was why new restrictions - such as the "rule of six" - were necessary to "defeat" the disease, he said.

The PM also admitted there was not enough testing capacity.

BBC Newcastle

The new restrictions are causing "total confusion" for publicans, a venue boss has said.

Garry Forest, who is chairman of the High Street Group, which owns 14 venues in the North East including Tynemouth's Buddha Lounge, said confusion is being caused by what is a rule and what is advice with regards people meeting friends outside their homes.

"There is nothing but constant confusion. We are as much at a loss of understanding of what we can do as everyone else is." he said.

"If it is you can only go out and mix with your family members (from the same household), I'm sorry to say the hospitality service in Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland will take one hell of a beating over the next few months."

Image source, Tynemouth Buddha Lounge

He said "short term reactive measures" are "slowly and surely destroying" the North East's hospitality sector.

The government said there is a "ban" on residents "socialising" with other people outside of their own households or support bubble in private homes and gardens," while people are "advised" not to "socialise with other people outside of their own households in all public venues".

Only one in three tests carried out in community testing centres in England are processed within 24 hours.

The affected councils say people socialising in pubs and restaurants has been one of the issues that caused infection rates to rise.

Here are some questions about going out from Newcastle City Council:

What are the changes for the hospitality venues?

The following must close from 22:00 to 05:00:

• Pubs
• Bars and restaurants (including hotel dining rooms and members’ clubs)
• Cafes including workplace canteens
• Social clubs
• Cinemas
• Theatres
• Casinos
• Bingo halls and concert halls
• Amusement arcades or other indoor leisure centres or facilities
• Static funfairs (travelling funfairs are banned), theme parks, and adventure parks and activities

Between 22:00 and 05:00 each day hot food takeaways can only operate a delivery service.

Can I still go to somewhere like a pub or restaurant, or meet up outdoors with family and friends there who don’t live with me?

You are advised to only visit these venues with other members of your household or support bubble.

Why can I visit the pub but not my relative’s house?

This is because the hospitality industry has enhanced measures, such as risk assessments and test and trace, which private homes don’t have.

People have been asking us plenty of questions about how the regulations will work, here are some answers provided by Newcastle City Council on behalf of the seven affected areas.

Can I travel outside the area for work or school?

Yes, people living inside and outside of these areas can continue to travel for work or school. Workplaces and schools themselves should also be implementing Covid-secure measures.

Can I go to someone’s house in an area not subject to the restrictions?

You should not visit anyone’s home inside or outside of the restricted area except for your support bubble, if you have one.

Can I go to a care home?

Care homes in the region are closed to non-essential visitors, but health care professionals and those involved in end-of-life care, including family members, can visit.

If you are planning to visit relatives in care homes outside the affected areas, then check with the home prior to travelling.

Here are some more of the Q&As released by Newcastle City Council, which apply to all seven affected council areas.

What are the household changes?

You must not meet people who do not live with you or are not part of your support bubble, either indoors or in a garden, unless

• where everyone lives together or is in the same support bubble
• to attend a birth
• to visit a person who is dying
• to fulfil a legal obligation
• for work purposes or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services
• for education or training
• for childcare provided by a registered provider
• to provide emergency assistance
• to enable someone to avoid injury or illness or to escape harm
• to move house
• to provide care to a vulnerable person
• to continue arrangements for contact between parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents.

Do these measures affect childcare?

You can continue to use early years and childcare, including childminders and providers offering before or after school clubs or other out-of-school settings for children. You can also continue to employ nannies, including those living outside of the region.

Children of parents who are separated can continue to move between households.

What is a support bubble?

A support bubble is a close network between a household with only one adult in the home and one other household of any size.

Once you’re in a support bubble, you can think of yourself as being in a single household with people from the other household. It means you can have close contact with that household as if they were members of your own household.

Once you make a support bubble, you should not change who is in your bubble or have multiple bubbles.

Newcastle City Council has published a list of Q&As about the new regulations covering seven council areas, which we will bring you over the next few posts.

What areas does it cover?

The areas covered by the councils of North Tyneside, Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead, Durham County, Sunderland and South Tyneside.

When are the measures being introduced?

From 00:01 on Friday 18 September.

Why are the measures being introduced?

To "address the significant rise in coronavirus cases in the region in recent weeks" with data showing an increased rate of transmission in homes, hospitality venues and through grassroots sports.

Why are North Tyneside, Northumberland and Durham subject to these measures when they’re not on the Government’s ‘watchlist’?

Infection rates have risen significantly in all areas, with increased numbers of outbreaks, leading to more community transmission across the region.

People also travel frequently between the different area for work and leisure, so it "makes sense for us to come together" to contain this latest increase in infections.

How long will it last?

It will be monitored closely and reviewed on a weekly basis but the changes would most likely happen in three-week intervals. The next steps will depend on the impact the measures have.

Rachel Schraer
BBC Health Reporter

People up and down the country have been blocked from getting coronavirus tests in recent days, as appointments were paused with the system struggling to cope. Yet the government says capacity is higher than ever.

So what's going on in the UK's testing system?

Read the full article here.

Image source, PA Media

BBC Newcastle

People are being urged not to attend amateur and grassroots sports events.

Eugene Milne, Newcastle's director of public health, said he would "discourage" spectators at both amateur and professional sport such as football as sport is a "common factor" in many cases of the spread of the coronavirus.

He said: "What's quite clear with the spread is it's associated with the behaviour of the spectators at the game and travel to and from the game."

Almost two million people in north-east England will see more restrictions following a rise in coronavirus cases, confirmed Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The temporary measures include restrictions on households mixing and pubs closing earlier at night.

The Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham council areas will be affected from midnight.

BBC Newcastle

People can meet others from different households outside in public places such as parks so long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines, according to Newcastle's director of public health.

Asked if people can meet in parks, Eugene Milne said: "Provided they are adhering to social distancing then yes. It's within houses and gardens the advice is not to mix because we know that's where have had viral spread."

He was also asked about confusion around what is a ban and what is advice on people meeting others in public venues such as bars and restaurants.

Mr Milne said it would be "very hard" to police an outright ban on people meeting in public venues as the bars would not know if people who claimed to live with each other actually did.

Organisers have cancelled a series of socially-distanced gigs in Newcastle in light of the new restrictions.

SSD Concerts has cancelled shows due to be held at the Virgin Money Unity Arena, just a month after North Shields singer Sam Fender started the series which has also included The Libertines and Van Morrison.

Cancelled shows include:

• Jack Savoretti - tomorrow
• Kaiser Chiefs - Saturday
• Bongo’s Bingo - Saturday
• Declan McKenna - Sunday

Image source, PA Media

Tonight's show of Chase and Status will still go ahead though, SSD said.

Event organiser Steve Davis said: “It is extremely disappointing to have to cancel these final shows at the end of what has been an incredible six week run of successfully socially-distanced concerts.

"We're honoured to have been able to provide a little happiness and joy to thousands of music and comedy fans throughout the region and the UK in what has been such a tough 2020 for everyone."

More than 50,000 people have attended the concerts in Gosforth Park, with more than 200 people employed at the venue.

Daniel Wainwright
BBC England Data Unit

While the rates of new coronavirus infections in the affected parts of the north-east England are lower than those in places such as Bolton, this is not a simply a case of rankings.

Rates of new infections in areas such as South Tyneside and Sunderland are at their highest since May and have been climbing for the past few weeks.

Other areas affected by the new restrictions, such as Northumberland, have much lower rates per 100,000 population but it is clear that infections have been climbing there too.

Image source, Reuters

Northumberland's rate of 25.7 cases per 100,000 in the week to 13 September means it is outside the top 100 of 315 areas of England for new infections.

However, when the government imposed tighter restrictions on Greater Manchester, the east of Lancashire and West Yorkshire in the summer, areas with lower rates were also included.

At the time, Wigan in Greater Manchester and Rossendale in Lancashire were not seeing the same rates of infection as their neighbouring boroughs and districts, but Public Health England included them because they were "part of an area in which overall infection rates are high, with household transmission a key pathway".

It will be the same for Northumberland, with people travelling to and from work in other areas of the North East.

Small businesses will need support for as long as the new restrictions are in place across the North East, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said.

Simon Hanson, FSB north east development manager, said: “We welcome the regional approach taken by the seven local authorities across the North East to coordinate the response to the local restrictions that have been announced.

“It’s vital that smaller businesses are supported for as long as these measures are in place across the region. Smaller businesses will need financial support to make the changes needed to be Covid secure and adapt to these new measures.

"It is absolutely critical that we get grant support to small and micro businesses quickly to help them adapt and provide some much needed support for cashflow.”

Emma Barnett
BBC 5 Live

The owner of a Newcastle restaurant says the new coronavirus measures are "worrying" and "a bit of a nightmare".

Nick Greaves, who runs The Patricia in Jesmond, said: "It's a bit of a shock. We have come so far to get back on our feet and now we are back down in this saga again."

He said the 22:00 curfew puts the restaurant "in an awkward position".

"We have changed the restaurant to have people much more spaced out time wise, in three sittings almost," Mr Greaves said.

"It's going to take out that 20.30 table sitting."

Image source, Google

He said the restaurant offers a six-course menu that takes about two-and-a-half hours to work through.

Mr Greaves also said he couldn't understand how the rules would help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

"It could even be a little bit dangerous with people going to the pub, necking as much as they can and then they end up drunk and are like 'let's go to a house or something'.

"I can't get my head around that's going to help anything. The virus is still dangerous before 22:00 as it is afterwards."

From midnight, the following activities will be banned in the seven council areas, according to the Department for Health.

• Residents must not socialise with other people outside of their own households or support bubble in homes and gardens
• Hospitality for food and drink will be restricted to table service only
• Leisure and entertainment venues must close between 22:00 to 05:00

People are also being asked to follow these guidelines:

• Not to socialise with other people outside of their own households in public
• Only use public transport for essential purposes, such as travelling to school or work
• Take holidays only in their own household or support bubble
• Avoid watching amateur and semi-professional sporting events

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:“After seeing cases in the North East rise to a concerning level, local authorities requested support for tighter restrictions and we have taken swift action to accept their recommendations.

“We do not take these decisions lightly but I know the people of the North East will work together and break the chains of transmission.

“I urge those from affected areas: please, get a test if you are symptomatic, stay at home if you are required to self-isolate, and think: hands, face, space. This is the only way for us to return to a more normal way of life and avoid further restrictions.”

A government fund to help stop the spread of the coronavirus in the social care sector will also be extended, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.

He told MPs: "We must do everything in our power to protect residents in social care."

Mr Hancock said the adult social care infection control fund would be extended for six months and receive an extra £540m.

He went on: "We'll do whatever is humanly possible to protect our care homes from this virus so they are a place of sanctuary this winter."

The leader of Gateshead Council said he expects "the majority of people" to understand the new restrictions and abide by them.

Martin Gannon said: "Nobody welcomes these things but I would think the vast majority of people recognise these are extremely difficult times and we all need to act and pull together.

"The majority of people understand and we expect to get support from most."