TV medic Doctor Amir Khan has accused the government for 'sneaking' in restrictions in places like North Tyneside over concerns surrounding the Indian variant of coronavirus.
It emerged on Monday that the Government is advising people to avoid all non-essential travel in and out of the borough after a rise in the number of cases of the variant.
North Tyneside is one of eight areas in the UK to be subject to the new guidance, with others including Blackburn & Darwen, Burnley and Bolton.
On Monday, ChronicleLive reported that the new rules were published online on Friday but there is thought to have been no communication between central government and North Tyneside Council before the advice was published.
The Manchester Evening News reported that officials in Bolton were also unaware of the guidance and reacting to the restrictions on Tuesday's Lorraine, Dr Amir: "Business were hoping to hear about June 21 and the easing of lockdown, they need tome to prepare.
"But that has been delayed because the Government are looking at current data around the Indian variant. And we know there are hotspots around the UK like Blackburn and Bedford and the Government have snuck out some information recently, advising people to stay local but they haven't consulted with the local public health experts, which they're annoyed about, which makes sense to me.
"You should consult local experts before giving out local advice."
Working GP Dr Amir ended on a more positive note by referring to claims from Public Health England over the weekend that getting both doses of either the Pfizer or the AstraZeneca vaccine offers "good protection" against the Indian variant, adding: "we might have to wait another week before we know what's going on from June 21 onwards, but it's always best to be safe rather than sorry."
