Restaurant closes its doors for now

The Alexandra Steakhouse in Sunderland has announced it will be temporarily closing its doors due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

The restaurant, in the c i t y ’s Q u e e n A l e x a n d r a Road, confirmed the closure on its Facebook page, adding that it was ‘the best decision at the moment’ after a testing year.

Ac c o rd i n g to the post, the team w i l l b e rev i ewing the situation weekly pending any further updates from the Government.

A statement, posted on Sunday, said: “We want to thank our customers who have still been visiting us and we are doing our absolute best to keep you all safe.

"We all have families and loved ones to protect so stay safe everyone and we look forward to seeing you all very soon.”

L o c a l auth o r i ty a rea s across the North East were previously subject to tougher local restrictions – rolled out at the end of September – prior to the Government’s new three-tier COVID alert s ys te m a n n ou n c e d th i s week.

Sunderland, alongside the rest of the region, currently falls under Tier 2 restrictions.

Under the rules, people must not meet socially with friends and family in any indoor setting unless they live with them or have formed a support bubble with them. This includes private homes, and any other indoor venues such as pubs and restaurants.

The rule of six applies when meeting those you do not live with outside.

A n at i o nw i d e c u r f e w was also announced by the Government last month, requiring certain businesses to close at 10pm.