British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is considering additional local COVID-19 restrictions for parts of northern England as the second wave of the novel coronavirus accelerates, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick said on Thursday.

New coronavirus cases are rising by about 14,000 a day in the United Kingdom and millions of people are living under a patchwork of different restrictions, though there is growing alarm about the economic cost of such rules.

“The virus is rising, in terms of the number of cases, quite significantly in the north west, in the north east and in a number of other cities like Nottingham,” Jenrick told Sky.

“We are currently considering what the right action would be to take in those places,” he said. Asked if the actions would be similar to those in Scotland, he said a range of actions were being considered – including a more consistent approach.

Reuters