MPs back new lockdown measures as 10 more die with Covid across Bristol region

MPs have overwhelmingly backed the latest lockdown measures as the UK Covid death rate reached levels not seen since the spring peak.

With Labour supporting the lockdown, the vote in the recalled House of Commons passed comfortably by 524 votes to 16, giving the Government a majority of 508.

Boris Johnson, however, did face rebellion within his ranks, with 12 Conservative MPs voting against the stay-at-home rules. They were joined by four DUP MPs opposing the regulations.

Former Tory minister Sir Desmond Swayne branded lockdowns a “complete failure” while Sir Robert Syms said the measures, which are in place until March 31, were “essentially a blank cheque for three months to Public Health

England to do what they wish”.

The backing came after a day in which a further 720 people were diagnosed with coronavirus across the Bristol region.

Ten more people also died after contracting the virus across Bristol and its neighbouring areas.

Researchers monitoring the new variant at the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) found it has spread from 507 ‘rows’ to 515 over the past five days in our city.

Bristol recorded 298 new infections yesterday, as our rate per 100,000 people peaked at 375.1 – more than triple compared to midDecember when our rates dropped as low as 110.

South Gloucestershire now has the highest rate in area, with 383. This district recorded a further 200 cases yesterday.

Weston Hospital has stopped admitting non-Covid patients in a bid to reduce the transmission of the virus.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the Bristol Royal Infirmary and Weston General Hospitals – had 169 Covid-19 patients as of December 30.

That means coronavirus patients are taking up almost a fifth of their beds.

The daily rise in cases for each part of the region is recorded below, with the total figure during the pandemic in brackets:

Bath and North East Somerset: +74 (5,296)

Bristol: +298 (20,416)

North Somerset: +138 (6,480) South Gloucestershire: +200 (9,592)

The number of lives lost to Covid-19 in the UK has risen by more than 1,000 for the first time since last April, with a record number of infections in the last 24 hours.

In total 1,041 people died, the highest daily death increase since April 22, with 62,322 new cases confirmed in the last day.

In the past seven days 4,798 people have died from the virus – a 32% increase compared to the week before. It means 77,346 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic.

The figures continue to be affected by a lag in the publication of recent data and contain some deaths that took place over the Christmas and New Year period that have only just been reported.