People in the North East of England are being banned from mixing together in any indoor setting, including pubs and restaurants.
The region was placed under new coronavirus measures two weeks ago, with people banned from mixing in private homes and gardens, along with other measures, such as a curfew.
But people from different households could still gather together in groups of six in places like pubs or restaurants, although this was advised against.
Despite the measures, cases have continued to rise across the region with over 100 cases per 100,000.
And Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced new stricter measures today.
He told the Commons: "Today I must announce further measures for the parts of the north-east where we introduced local action a fortnight ago.
Keep up to date with coronavirus cases in your area by adding your postcode below
"Unfortunately the number of cases continues to rise sharply. The incident rate across the area is now over 100 cases per 100,000. We know that a large number of these infections are taking place in indoor settings outside the home.
"And so at the request of the local councils, with whom we have been working closely, we will introduce legal restrictions on indoor mixing between households in any setting.
"We do not take these steps lightly but we must take them and take them now because we know that swift action is more likely to bring the virus under control and the quicker we can get this virus under control, the quicker we can restore the freedoms we all enjoy in the north-east and across the country."
There are fears that similar measures may come into force in Liverpool.
Yesterday, Liverpool's public health director Matt Ashton said the city was "in a very difficult situation", with the city's seven day average case rate standing at 252 cases per 100,000 people.
Other boroughs in the region have also struggled to slow the spread of the virus, which is now leading to an increase in hospital admissions for the disease.
Metro Mayor Rotheram said he supported more restrictions to slow the spread of the disease but called on government to provide details of financial support for businesses to prevent a further wave of joblessness.
He said: "We have all seen the worrying rise in cases of Coronavirus across the country, so it is right that if the current restrictions are not proving to be enough, that the government considers every option available to protect people and stop the spread of the virus.
"However, if they are going to force another shutdown of the hospitality industry and a ban on all social gatherings, then they need to put in place proper financial support for councils and local public health teams, for business to prevent them from going under and to stop thousands of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own.
"To be effective, any announcement on further local restrictions or local lockdowns has to come with clear messaging and a package of measures to protect jobs and support the local economy, including a local furlough scheme, financial support for businesses and support for the self-employed - many of whom have not received any help at all since this crisis began."
