New local lockdown for whole of North East 'to include 10pm curfew, holidaying with friends and avoiding public transport'
our sister title ChronicleLive reports.The current plan is for measures to come into force just after midnight on Friday morning - September 18, in a bid to reverse a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases across the region.Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland are all expected to be included.Around 2.6million people live in the region in total.No official announcement has been made about the plans, and nothing will be confirmed until a statement is issued by the Department for Health and Social Care.But Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told ITV's Peston on Wednesday night: "The number of cases has been rising rapidly in many parts of the country, but in particular in the North