What Sunderland has said about the tighter Covid-19 restrictions

After being put on the government watch list, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Durham, Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle will now be subject to new Covid-19 rules in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

As of midnight on Friday, September 18 residents across the North East are being told not to socialise with other households and further restrictions to opening times and operations are being enforced in food and drink outlets.

From agreeing with the new rules to describing them as “ridiculous”, opinions were varied.

Karen, 58 and John Dickman, 68, owners of Gatsby and Port of Call in Sunderland said: “These new restrictions won’t affect Port of Call too much as the full table service has worked a lot better for us but they will have a huge effect on Gatsby due to the clientele.

"It’s mostly students so the bar doesn’t get busy til after 10pm so it will cause a drop in trade as we will need to shut early.

"We are really worried about Gatsby because under these new restrictions it’s not going to work, we can't do what we usually do with the bar.

"It feels a little unfair that restaurants and bars come under the same category because they are completely different, the restrictions don’t work for both.

"We have been following all the precautions so it’s frustrating that we are going to suffer when we have been doing everything right.

"It’s just a shame that these rules are now being enforced because we were just getting back to normal and adjusting to working under Covid measures.”

Angela Atkinson, 40 from Fulwell said: “I am frightened, I am frightened of a world that I am bringing my own children up in.

"People are confused, one minute they are telling us to go out and eat in restaurants and drink in pubs and then the next we all need to stay inside.

"These news rules are ridiculous, my kids are allowed to go to school with loads of other children and we can go to pubs with lots of strangers but I can’t take them to see their Nana.

"The rules are up and down and not clear, if I don’t understand it as an adult then how am I supposed to explain it to my children.

"People should just use their common sense – wear masks, keep to social distant rules, this is why the numbers are going up because people aren't following the correct precautions.

"I can’t wear a mask and people aren’t accepting of it, everyone should be coming together to fight this virus but everyone is just arguing about the best way to solve it.

"I think it’s the pubs that have been the problem, they should shut them completely.

"How can people think properly about keeping to guidelines when they are drunk, everyone will be kissing and cuddling, social distance goes out the window.

"The government have messed it up because they haven’t asked the people what they want.

"We don't have a voice, people would be more likely to follow rules if we had been asked our opinion first, I am fed up.”

Alex Ventura, 17, a student from Sunderland said: “I think the restrictions are a good thing as the number of cases have been so high recently.

"It probably needed to happen but it will only work if people actually abide by it.

"Some people are taking it really seriously and others aren’t.”

Gareth Bowen, 43 from Durham said: “I have been moving around the North East from Sunderland, to Durham to Hartlepool so these restrictions are going to make my life more difficult.

"I have been using the libraries for WiFi so I’m hoping further restrictions won’t come along because I won’t be able to use the libraries if we go into full lockdown.

"I wanted to try and get over to France for work but with all these restrictions in place I haven’t been able to.

"The Covid-19 rules are really messing up a lot of things and it’s only going to get worse.”

Emma Clark, 39 from Newcastle said: “I think the government have handled the whole pandemic pretty badly, we are an island so we should have more control over the virus.

"I don’t know if local lockdowns will work because we really just need a vaccine.

"I have friends who are single parents and they haven't had much support, there are so many people who are struggling throughout this pandemic.

"I understand looking after the economy but the people are more important.

"The government should have had a better attitude to everything at the beginning rather than it being about money.

"They went about it the wrong way from the start.”

John Carter, 41 from Hartlepool said: “I think we should still be in full lockdown now, we came out too early.

"I haven't been in any pubs because I am not sure everyone is abiding by the rules.

"I don’t see what difference shutting a pub at 10pm is going to make because if people aren't following rules then this virus isn’t going to go away.

"The government should have enforced the lockdown for longer, that's where they have gone wrong.”