The whole of Nottinghamshire will go into Tier 3 lockdown on Friday, Sky News understands.
Nottingham City, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe council areas had already been preparing to enter Tier 3 restrictions at midnight tonight. The exact details of the measures were expected to be announced on Tuesday.
Instead, the entire county will go into the highest lockdown measures together on Friday at 12.01am. Details will be announced in full this afternoon.
Measures under Tiers 1, 2 and 3 of England’s lockdown system
Talks between the government and local leaders are said to have concluded, but negotiations are ongoing as to what the exact measures needed will be.
The area will join Warrington as well as the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Yorkshire in the highest coronavirus tier.
Under blanket pre-existing Tier 3 measures, bars and pubs in the city will have to close unless they serve substantial meals. Households will also be banned from mixing indoors or in private gardens and beer gardens.
A package of financial support measures for affected businesses and workers agreed with the government, will be put in place, in line with other areas where Tier 3 measures have been imposed.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday evening, Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood said the full announcement of COVID-19 restrictions in the city had been delayed because ministers want to extend the restrictions further afield.
She said: “Yesterday we were told that we’re going into Tier 3 on Thursday.
“Now we hear the announcement has been delayed because ministers want to extend Tier 3 to all of Nottinghamshire – as I and others have been saying for days.
“Once again this government are dithering and delaying – and our constituents, our hospitals and local businesses in our city are paying the price.”
It comes as Nottingham hospital bosses said they had to cancel some cancer operations due to “pressure on intensive care units”.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust medical director Keith Girling said the trust had taken the “extremely difficult decision” to postpone four cancer operations this week.
Warrington entered Tier 3 on Tuesday with all pubs and bars closing – unless they serve substantial meals – along with betting shops, adult gaming centres, casinos, and soft play centres.