Coronavirus: New restrictions for England likely on Monday
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Reuters
The government is likely to tighten coronavirus restrictions for parts of England on Monday - including the possibility of closing pubs and restaurants, the BBC understands.
The government is expected to introduce three tiers for local lockdowns - as reported by the BBC last week.
But ministers are now discussing how severe the top tier should be.
The Treasury are looking at providing financial support to the hospitality industry in the worst hit areas.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says this support could also be spread across the country if there were widespread closures.
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The decision would follow further restrictions being put in place in Scotland from Friday, including limiting pub opening hours and the sale of alcohol indoors.
But no final decision has been made on the extent of the potential closures in England or the time period.
The number of UK cases rose by 14,162 on Wednesday.
It's a complicated equation. The Department of Health is worried about the spread of the disease, as well as other patients losing out on other treatments because of the focus on Covid.
No 11 is fearful about the impact on the economy, which has already had a profound shock.
And it's No 10's job to worry about all of it, then reach a conclusion.
But Boris Johnson also knows that his own MPs and the opposition parties are more and more sceptical as each day passes about what the government proposes.
It's clear that shutting pubs and restaurants is a possibility - the "circuit breaker" that we have talked about on here lots of times.
But there are many questions still to be settled.
