It is expected that the Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce later on Thursday that more than 2m people will be placed into new lockdown restrictions in the northeast of England.
It is expected a Commons statement will be made to announce a ban across the region which will prevent people from socialising with different households along with a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants.
Newcastle, Northumberland, Gateshead, County Durham, Sunderland, North Tyneside and South Tyneside, are affected.
In the last five days 200 coronavirus cases have been recorded.
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes said, “Unless we get on with this now, we are facing a bigger problem down the line which could end up in a full lockdown.
“It is better to try to introduce measures which will prevent that, even though that may mean some additional restrictions over the next few weeks.
“We are working with the government on a plan for what those could mean and how we can get those measures in place over the next few weeks to protect our communities and having to go into another prolonged, damaging lockdown.”
Health Minister Nadine Dorries blames a shortage on coronavirus testing which has caused the new restrictions.
Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, told Sky News, “It has added to the farcical way the government has handled this. The issue in the north east needs to be addressed as numbers are rising but testing in the north east is a shambles.”
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