JULIE ELLIOTT: There is much more that the government can do

The announcement, made by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the floor of the House of Commons, included a ban on households mixing inside and out, a move to table service only at restaurants and bars until 10pm, a ban on spectators at sporting events and a return to workers being encouraged to work from home and only take public transport in exceptional circumstances.

The measures are important and needed given the rise in coronavirus cases in the North East. We absolutely must do all we can to protect those who are most vulnerable to the virus, and work hard to ensure that at no point in the future does the NHS become overwhelmed with admissions.

There are though many flaws in the government’s approach to the local restrictions.

After extensive discussions with myself and colleagues, the government changed its policy regarding childcare from the banning of households mixing altogether, to allowing childcare, both formal and informal, for children under 14 and vulnerable adults where it is necessary for caring purposes.

This will go far in helping families through an extremely difficult period.

There is, however, much more that the government can do.

After the announcement last week, I, along with many colleagues, wrote to the Secretary of State for Health asking for clarification on a number of different issues.

I want the government to support local authorities through extra resources and data, so that they can make the best decisions for our local area.

I want the government to ensure extra testing capacity is in place for the region, so that those who have the virus can find out, isolate, and stop the spread of the virus. It is clear, now, that testing is not up to scratch with people directed hundreds of miles for testing. This needs to change.

I want to make sure that no-one loses out financially as a result of these new restrictions, from loss of work or earnings to loss of business, so we need government to provide assurances on extensions of furlough and business support schemes to protect jobs and livelihoods.

I support the need to impose restrictions to save lives and protect our NHS, but this must be combined with an approach to protect jobs and livelihoods.