The Prime Minister will today
Monday [12 October] make a statement to the House of Commons
setting out further steps to control the spread of the
coronavirus.
Having updated members of the Cabinet on
Sunday evening, he will chair a meeting of the Government’s COBR
committee on Monday morning to determine the final interventions
to announce in Parliament. MPs will be asked to debate and vote
on these measures later this week.
Later in the day,
he will speak directly to the nation in a televised Downing
Street press conference where he will be joined by the Chancellor
and the Chief Medical Officer.
The Prime Minister
is expected to announce a new system of “Local Covid Alert
Levels” in England. The country will be placed into “medium”,
“high” and “very high” alert levels. The Government is working
with local leaders to decide which areas are covered by the very
high alert level, and the appropriate interventions in those
areas.
This follows
significant Government engagement throughout the weekend.
Yesterday (Sunday) the Prime Minister spoke to , Metro Mayor
of the Liverpool City Region, following detailed discussions over
the last few days between all the region’s leaders, Chief
Executives and Senior Government figures.
They discussed the
huge challenge from rising numbers of covid cases in the region
and pledged to work together on combatting the virus.
During the weekend,
senior No 10 advisers and the Housing Communities and Local
Government Secretary also held discussions with local authority leaders
and mayors from the highest areas of concern.
Government
representatives thanked the significant contribution of local
leaders in the response to the virus, and reiterated the
importance of their roles in helping to shape the package of
measures for areas with high prevalence as the country continues
to work together to tackle the coronavirus epidemic.
Discussions were
held on how Government and local authorities could also work
together to mobilise communities, volunteers and the public
sector to help increase the effectiveness of NHS Test and
Trace.
A Downing Street
spokesperson said:
“Our primary focus
has always been to protect lives and livelihoods while
controlling the spread of the virus and these measures will help
achieve that aim.
“We must do
everything we can to protect the NHS and make sure it can
continue to deliver the essential services that so many people
rely on.
“This is a critical
juncture and it is absolutely vital that everyone follows the
clear guidance we have set out to help contain the virus.”
There will also be
a public data briefing on Monday morning at Downing Street with
the Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van Tam and
representatives from the NHS.
The latest moves
come after the Chancellor announced significant new support to protect jobs and
support businesses required to close their doors as a result of
coronavirus restrictions.
Under the expansion
of the Government’s Job Support Scheme, firms across the UK whose
premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter
as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to
pay the wages of staff who cannot work - protecting jobs and
enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are
lifted.
The Government will
support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each
employee’s salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a
month.
