LONDON — Millions of people in northern England are waiting to hear whether they will be put under tighter coronavirus restrictions in the coming days.
One of the British government's leading medical advisers warned Sunday that the country is at a "tipping point" in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The warning from England's deputy chief medical officer came a day ahead of an expected announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a new three-tier local lockdown system.
The system could temporarily close down pubs and restaurants in northern England's virus hotspots.
Liverpool and Manchester have both recorded infection levels recently above 500 per 100,000 people, among the continent's worst-hit cities.
