A new tiered system of restrictions for England is set to be announced on Monday, as Covid cases rise.

The chancellor will set out on Friday more financial support for businesses forced to close by law when virus rules are tightened in England.
Rishi Sunak will outline the next stage of the Job Support Scheme to help firms that “may have to close in the coming weeks or months”, the Treasury says.
An update on restrictions, which could see pubs and restaurants shut in the worst-affected areas, is due on Monday.
Regional leaders have called for more help for struggling firms.
The chancellor is expected to announce the new financial support scheme will be a six-month plan, with a three-month review point.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said local leaders should be “in the room” and included in local lockdown decisions.
It comes as new restrictions aimed at halting the rise in Covid infections in Scotland – including the closure of pubs and restaurants in the central belt – come into force later on Friday.
The Job Support Scheme, which will replace the furlough scheme from 1 November, will see eligible workers get three quarters of their normal salaries for six months.
To be eligible, employees must be in a ”viable job” where they can work for at least one-third of their normal hours.
For the hours not worked, the government and employer will each pay one-third of the remaining wages. This means the employee would get at least 77% of their pay.
Nearly three million workers – or 12% of the UK’s workforce – are currently on partial or full furlough leave, according to official figures. The current furlough scheme ends on 31 October.
A tiered system of measures for England is set to be announced by Monday, in an effort to stall rising infection rates, to replace the patchwork of existing rules across the country.
Under the new system, different parts of the country would be placed in different categories – although ministers are still discussing the precise details.
Pubs and restaurants could be closed in the worst-affected areas, while a ban on overnight stays is also being considered.
On Thursday, England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty presented evidence to MPs in a video call that a “significant proportion” of exposure to coronavirus was happening in the hospitality sector – but nothing more was shown on the scope, severity, timing or precise location of any new restrictions.
But there has been growing anger among MPs and local leaders about the way the government has communicated the proposed changes with them.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham accused the government of treating the north of England with “contempt” after he learned ministers were considering shutting hospitality venues in the worst-affected areas in a newspaper report.
Mr Burnham said he would challenge the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants if the measure did not come with financial support.
He told BBC’s Question Time: “The message I’ve given to the government is a pretty clear one – there can be no restrictions without support.
“And if it’s going to be the tier three restrictions – effectively a national lockdown – we have to go back to a full furlough scheme for those staff, support for those businesses, otherwise the north of England is going to be levelled down this winter and I won’t accept it.”
In response, junior minister Gillian Keegan said the government had to act to stem the rise in cases.
“This is serious – it is getting out of control, and we have to do something to bring it back under control,” she said.
But she acknowledged that communication with the worst-hit areas needed to improve.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the government of “operating under the misguided, arrogant and counterproductive view that ‘Whitehall knows best'”.
Sir Keir said the government had “lost control of the virus” and urged ministers to “get a grip”.
“It was an act of gross irresponsibility for anonymous No 10 sources to tell a few newspapers on Thursday about plans to impose further restrictions on millions of people, without any detail, without any consultation and without any statement from the prime minister.
“This has significantly added to the sense of confusion, chaos and unfairness in the approach that is being taken.”
But a senior government source accused Sir Keir of “playing politics in the middle of a global pandemic”.
There were 17,540 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the UK on Thursday, up from the 14,162 reported the day before, government data showed. A further 77 people died after testing positive for the virus within 28 days.
NHS England data published on Thursday showed the number of people waiting more than a year to start hospital treatment is at its highest level since 2008 – with some 111,026 people waiting more than 52 weeks to start hospital treatment in August.
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