Doctor Hilary Jones has pleaded with people in the North East to be "extra careful" as tighter laws are enforced in the region.
From midnight on Tuesday it was made illegal for anyone to mix with someone from another household indoors, both in a home or social setting.
Previously meeting other households in bars and restaurants was just "advised against" but now carries the prospect of a hefty fine if you are caught flouting the rule.
Meeting in outdoor locations like beer gardens, although advised against, is still permitted.
The new restrictions sparked chaos yesterday when Prime Minister Boris Johnson got them wrong during an interview when he said: "In the North East and other areas where extra type measures have been bought in you should follow the guidance of local authorities.
"It's six in a home and six in hospitality but, as I understand it, not six outside."
Realising his error, Johnson took to Twitter to admit he'd made a mistake and backtracked on his words, writing: "Apologies, I misspoke today. In the North East, new rules mean you cannot meet people from different households in social settings indoors, including in pubs, restaurants and your home.
"You should also avoid socialising with other households outside."
The North East has seen a huge surge in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, with a local lockdown being introduced two weeks ago for Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, County Durham and Northumberland.
And Good Morning Britain and Lorraine's resident health expert Dr Hilary has called on the region to be "extra careful."
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly, he said: "People just need to say to themselves "what do I need to do to keep myself safe? And what do I need to do to keep the person I'm talking to and mixing with safe?'
"Clearly there are different prevalence rates in parts of the country. So the North East at the moment does have a high prevalence rate and they need to be even more careful than everybody else. That makes absolute sense.
"For them at the moment the restriction is that you can't mix households - households cannot mix with other households indoors and they're discouraged from doing so outdoors as well but it's not banned outdoors.
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Hitting home his plea to people to take more responsibility, Dr Hilary added: "The bottom line is that people need to take individual responsibility. And wherever they and whatever they are doing think 'how can I keep safe and how can I keep the person I'm talking to safe?"
Agreeing with him, Lorraine said: "The message doesn't seem to be getting across. It's all about taking responsibility."
