Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has spoken out about the new measures being implemented across the North East to combat a rise in coronavirus cases.
There has been an 160% increase in coronavirus cases across the North East, mainly in Sunderland, Gateshead and individual wards across County Durham. There are now over 20 cases for every 100,000 people. Seven councils across the North East from Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham have now asked the Government for special powers to implement measures to prevent a spread.
The measures will be in place for as long as they are needed, but Richard will be having weekly discussions with Durham County Council and has received assurances from the Chief Executive of Durham County Council that implementation of the new measures will be ‘reasonable’. If the measures put in place are successful and case numbers fall, Richard will be arguing for a removal of the restrictions on either a town or a ward level.
From Friday 18th September:
- Restricted opening hours for restaurants, pubs and cafes – all these establishments will have to be closed between 10pm and 5am
- All restaurants, pubs and cafes will have to be table service only
- Residents must not socialise with people outside their own households or support bubbles in either private homes or gardens
Advisory measures include:
- Not meeting those outside your household bubble outside
- Only using public transport for essential travel – this includes going to and from work and school
- Only taking holidays with members of your own household
Commenting, Richard said:
“I understand how frustrating these new measures are for people across the North East. I want to stress that everything will remain open, but councils have recognised that people meeting friends and families indoors in a relaxed setting has contributed to a rise in cases.
“I’ve spoken to the Health Secretary twice this week alone about this and I want to see an end to these restrictions as soon as is possible. We will be increasing testing to 500,000 people a day and I’ll continue to argue for more resources for testing.
“I desperately do not want to see restrictions placed on the lives of people in the community that I love, but these restrictions are needed. I am so grateful to all of you for working to sacrifice so much over the past few months, and I ask that you all abide by the new measures to keep our communities safe and make sure that we don’t see restrictions for too long.”
To hear more about the work that Richard is doing for North West Durham, you can sign up here or input your details in the form on this page.