Millions of people across the UK are waking up to stricter coronavirus restrictions on Saturday as health officials battle to stem the spread of the disease.
From midnight, South Yorkshire joined Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire on the highest Tier 3 alert level, banning mixing between households indoors and forcing many pubs and bars to close.
In a letter to residents Sheffield City City Region mayor Dan Jarvis acknowledged many people would find the return stricter rules “deeply frustrating” and would fear for their futures and their livelihoods.
But he added: The scientific advice is that they can help. We still have a difficult path ahead, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, he said.
It came as Wales began a two-week national “firebreak” at 6pm on Friday evening, with a return to the stay at home message of the first lockdown in March.
On Friday the seven-day rolling average number of daily coronavirus cases in the UK eclipsed 20,000 for the first time, with 20,530 new infections.