Could English pubs follow in Scotland's steps? - BBC News

However you look at the blizzard of statistics about the Coronavirus, the disease is still spreading - despite town after town being placed under extra limits.

Even before Nicola Sturgeon's moves on Wednesday to try to break the spread in Scotland, ministers in SW1 were looking at the next steps they would need to take to stop the acceleration of the virus.

As we've reported, the government is likely to introduce a tiered approach to put different parts of the country with different spreads of the diseases into different categories.

But the exact nature of the strictest form of restrictions are yet to be set in stone.

It's a complicated equation. The Department of Health is worried about the spread of the disease, as well as other patients losing out on other treatments because of the focus on Covid.

No 11 is fearful about the impact on the economy, which has already had a profound shock.

And it's No 10's job to worry about all of it, then reach a conclusion.

But Boris Johnson also knows that his own MPs and the opposition parties are more and more sceptical as each day passes about what the government proposes.

It's clear that shutting pubs and restaurants is a possibility - the "circuit breaker" that we have talked about on here lots of times.

But there are many questions still to be settled.

Serious discussions

Would that happen everywhere? Or just in the most affected parts of the country?

Would closures be total or for a certain period of time only?

Would they be temporary? Or put in place until an indeterminate time?

A lot is unknown, but the discussions are serious. The Treasury is already looking at financial support for the different options, including not just closing pubs in the most affected areas, but potentially well beyond.

There is a lot yet to settle, and the next formal announcement is likely (as things stand) not to come until Monday.

But more action is clearly on the way.

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2020-10-07 17:28:07Z
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