Plan for 'harsher three-tier lockdowns': Leaked document reveals possible pub closures and ban on ALL social contact outside your household under proposed red, amber, green 'traffic-light' system
- Leaked document shows new three-tier 'traffic-light' Covid lockdown system
- It will contain an Alert Level One which will include the closure of pubs and bars
- Boris Johnson defended his handling of the coronavirus crisis amid backlash
- PM said he hoped scientific 'equation' will change in next few weeks and months
- Warned of 'tough winter' and said it could still be 'bumpy' beyond Christmas
- Blamed case spike on counting glitch, hinting results might have been delayed
- Cases jumped again on Sunday to nearly 23,000 amid the growing crisis
Ministers are planning tough new 'red alert' lockdowns, with a leaked document revealing that all social contact outside homes could be banned under the most extreme part of a proposed 'traffic-light-style' system, according to reports.
The new three-tier system plan includes an Alert Level Three with tough new restrictions - which almost parallel the complete lockdown measures imposed across the UK in March.
The new three-tier system includes a Level One 'red' alert which will include tough new restrictions - which almost parallel the complete lockdown measures imposed in March
These include closing all hospitality and leisure business and banning contact with anyone outside a person's household, regardless of the setting.
Non-professional sports will also be stopped - though places of worship will still be allowed to stay open - unlike in the original coronavirus lockdown when they were forced to close.
It comes as the UK recorded 23,000 new coronavirus infections on Sunday following a 'technical glitch' which meant thousands of cases were initially missed off the official data.
The tough new red measures, outlined in a leaked document seen by The Guardian, will only be imposed either nationally or in a specific area if the virus cannot be controlled by measures in Alert Level Two or if an area sees a 'significant increase in transmission'.
Measures for 'Alert Level Two', amber in the traffic light system, include limiting social gatherings to people within a household and support bubble, while travel will be limited to essential purposes.
Alert Level Two will be triggered nationally or in a specific area when there has been a rise in infections and local measures cannot control it.
Meanwhile Alert Level One, green, will include the measures that are already in place, such as the 'rule of six', the 10pm Covid curfew on hospitality businesses and the wearing of face masks in public places such as supermarkets and public transport.
According to the Guardian, A Whitehall source said the levels within the system were intended to be 'minimum standards' and that specific local circumstances in each area would also be taken into account.
Meanwhile a government source told the paper that the plans were an 'early draft' and were still under consideration from ministers.
It comes as a furious row tonight erupted over the UK’s daily Covid figures, as the country recorded 29,961 new coronavirus infections following a 'technical glitch' which meant thousands of cases were initially missed off the official data.
The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the ‘glitch’ resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.
Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed in the space of a week – most of them in the past few days.
The admission suggests the pandemic is growing faster than previously thought.
On Friday, the daily tally stood at 6,968 positive cases, comparable to the level it had been all week.
But on Saturday, it rose abruptly to 12,872, and today's tally was more than three times higher – a record 22,961 new cases.
The Department of Health said the October 3 and 4 figures were 'artificially high' in England and the UK due to the technical issue.
A further 33 deaths - the figures of which were not impacted by the technical issue - were also confirmed today.
The daily totals rocketed over the weekend after the ‘glitch’ resulted in officials adding on thousands of cases that were missed last week.
Public Health England last night admitted nearly 16,000 cases had been missed in the space of a week – most of them in the past few days. Pictured: People in face masks on the street of London
The accuracy of the figures is essential for determining the way ministers respond to the pandemic – particularly in local areas.
The localised lockdowns that cover a quarter of the UK population are already the subject of controversy, with many claiming they are unfair and arbitrary.
Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist at the University of East Anglia, said last night: ‘Clearly in the management of any epidemic you need good-quality data – without that data it is very difficult to respond. It is a real problem.’
Public Health England interim chief executive Michael Brodie said last night: ‘A technical issue was identified overnight on Friday, October 2, in the data load process that transfers Covid-19 positive lab results into reporting dashboards.
‘After rapid investigation, we have identified that 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were not included in the reported daily Covid-19 cases.
‘Every one of these cases received their Covid-19 test result as normal and all those who tested positive were advised to self-isolate.’
In other developments:
- Boris Johnson warned Britons of ‘bumpy’ months ahead and a ‘tough winter’ as he dramatically rowed back on his previous optimism about Christmas;
- He also admitted he was ‘frustrated’ with delays in the NHS Test and Trace system;
- Ministers were putting the finishing touches to a new traffic-light system which could pave the way for harsher restrictions such as the closure of all pubs in a certain area;
- Reports suggested that next year’s school exams would be delayed by three weeks;
- Trials of an air passenger testing regime are expected to begin within weeks in a victory for the Mail’s Get Britain Flying campaign;
- A hard-hitting report claimed the Government’s pandemic policies had made vulnerable care home residents ‘expendable’ and violated their fundamental human rights;
- Health minister Lord Bethell claimed Britain will look back at its Covid-19 response ‘like the Olympics’ and be ‘extremely proud'
On Sunday, Boris Johnson denied bungling coronavirus lockdowns as he warned there is no guarantee the situation will improve by Christmas.
The PM admitted people were 'furious' with him over the 10pm pubs curfew, the Rule of Six, and chaotic local curbs, but defended his handling of the crisis amid growing disquiet on his own benches.
As the virtual Tory conference gets underway, Mr Johnson urged the public to be 'fearless but use common sense' to help manage the outbreak without destroying the economy.
He said he was working 'flat out' and hoped that 'in the course of the next few weeks and months the scientific equation will change' and that would allow a 'different approach'.
But in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, he cautioned that the restrictions could drag into 2021.
'I know people are furious, and they are furious with me and furious with the government.,' Mr Johnson said.
'But, you know, I've got to tell you in all candour, it's going to continue to be bumpy through to Christmas, it may even be bumpy beyond. But this is the only way to do it.
He added: 'This could be a very tough winter for all of us.'
In an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Boris Johnson cautioned: 'it will continue to be bumpy through to Christmas. It may even be bumpy beyond.'
The comments came after almost 13,000 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the UK yesterday - double the number for the previous day.
However, the Department of Health blameD the spike on a technical problem, without saying exactly what the issue was.
He also suggested that it might have meant delays in some people getting crucial test results.
'All the people who had a positive test result have now been notified,' he said.
Mr Johnson acknowledged that people were 'furious' with him about the pandemic.
But he insisted his approach was 'the only way to do it', and it was not possible to do as some wish and let the disease 'rip' to protect the economy.
'As Prime Minister I couldn't take a course that could expose us to tens of thousands more deaths in very short order,' he said.
'And, you know, we've got to continue to bear down on this virus, whilst protecting the economy. That's the balance we've got to strike.'
Told that Tories were condemning him for curtailing civil liberties without parliamentary scrutiny, Mr Johnson said 'nobody in my position wants to do any of the things that we've had to do'.
'I'm a freedom-loving Tory… I don't want to have to impose measures like this, are you crazy?' he said.
'This is the last thing we want to do. But I also have to save life. And that's our priority.
'And I also think, by the way, that's the priority of the British people and I think they will want to see their Government continue to work, continuing to fight the virus and that's what we're doing.'
Mr Johnson said it would have been wrong to display his usual 'buoyancy' during the pandemic.'
I think the reality is this is a Government that is facing an unprecedented crisis and I think if people wanted me to approach it with the sort of buoyancy and elan and the qualities I usually bring to things, I think people would think that was totally inappropriate,' he said
On the controversial 10pm curfew for pubs across England, Mr Johnson blamed people who chose to 'hobnob' outside for the chaotic scenes in city centres at closing time.
The Prime Minister said: 'People just need to follow the guidance.
'Obviously it makes no sense if, having followed the guidance for all the time in the pub they then pour out into the street and hobnob in such a way as to spread the virus.'
He added: 'The answer is for all of us to follow the guidance.'
Asked what scientific evidence there was for a 10pm cut-off he said: 'One of the things that has been put to us is that by curtailing the hours you can reduce the transmission.'
Mr Johnson said: 'On the one hand we have the imperative to save life, it is a moral imperative to save life if we possibly can.
'On the other hand we have to keep our economy moving and our society going.
'What we want people to do is behave fearlessly but with common sense, to follow the guidance – whether national or local – get the virus down but allow us as a country to continue with our priorities.'
He said he believed the science would 'change' in the coming months which would allow the Government and the country to alter its approach to dealing with Covid-19.
He said: 'What I hope, and I believe very strongly, is that in the course of the next weeks and months, the scientific equation will change and we will start to see progress, whether it is on vaccines or on testing, that will enable us to take a different approach.
'But for the moment, that is the balance that people have to adopt, that is the line we have to follow.'
The Government said that, as of 9am on Saturday, there had been a further 12,872 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus.
As of 9am on Friday, there had been a further 6,968 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.
The official dashboard said on Saturday that due to a technical issue, which has now been resolved, there was a delay in publishing a number of cases.
This means that the total reported over the coming days will include some additional cases from the period between September 24 and October 1.
Experts have previously warned that describing the daily figure as a record could be 'misleading' as it is not clear how many people were actually infected during the height of the first wave due to a lack of community testing at the time.
Saturday's figure brings the total number of cases in the UK to 480,017.
The Government also said a further 49 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Saturday. This brings the UK total to 42,317.
Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies show there have now been nearly 57,900 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Other figures show there were 2,194 Covid-19 patients in hospital in England as of Saturday, up from 1,622 a week ago, while 307 Covid-19 hospital patients were in ventilation beds, up from 223 a week ago.A total of 368 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were admitted to hospitals in England on Thursday, compared with 288 a week earlier.
Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis was asked about a technical issue with reporting test data that saw more than 12,000 additional UK positive coronavirus cases declared by the Government on Saturday.
He told the Sophy Ridge programme: 'This is an issue between September 24 and October 1.
'Those numbers have been put in as of yesterday and as you say, has had that impact on the numbers.
'I would say actually this is a testament to how focused the Department of Health, Public Health England, the Test and Trace are around the system.
'We are being transparent about this, we're publishing the figures daily.
'As soon as they've spotted there was an issue, they've dug into that, they've got to the bottom of those numbers, they have been transparent and published the correct numbers and of course the teams will be looking through that to ensure it doesn't happen again.
'All the way through this we have been looking at how we can share information with the public as quickly as we can, as transparently as we can because that's part of explaining to people just how dangerous and how quick this virus is in the way it spreads.'
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