Four boroughs in South Yorkshire will be placed into the very-high level of coronavirus restrictions, Tier Three, from Saturday.
The area follows Liverpool, Lancashire and Greater Manchester into lockdown.
It follows days of discussion between Westminster and local leaders.
The region will be given £41million in support.
Greater Manchester secured £22million after failing to agree terms with Westminster.
The Mayor of Sheffield City Region, Dan Jarvis has released a statement on the ‘very high’ alert level COVID restrictions for South Yorkshire.
Mr Jarvis said: “Following extensive discussions with Ministers, local council leaders and I have agreed with Government that South Yorkshire will move into Tier 3, the ‘very high’ alert level for coronavirus restrictions. The restrictions will come into force from 00:01 on Saturday 24 October and cover all four local authority areas – Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
“We all recognise the gravity of the situation and have taken the responsible route to ensure we save lives and livelihoods, and protect our NHS. More older people are contracting the virus. The number of people with Covid in our hospitals has doubled over the last ten days, with no signs this will relent over the coming weeks. Inaction was not an option.
“We called on Government to offer a local lockdown lifeline for our local authorities and economy, and the new restrictions will be introduced alongside resources which mean we are better equipped to control the virus and limit some of the damage on jobs and businesses.
“While infection rates vary across South Yorkshire, collective action was the only practical choice to keep everyone in our region safe. If restrictions are effective, individual local authorities will be able to move to lower alert levels as soon as it is safe to do so, in consultation with fellow local leaders, myself and national government.
“However, to reach that point as quickly as possible, it’s critical people in South Yorkshire follow the new restrictions as soon as they are in place. I want to thank everyone in the region for their perseverance. The character and grit of people in South Yorkshire will be needed in abundance to help us get through what will be an incredibly challenging period. Our NHS staff have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic to keep us all safe. We owe it to them to ease the pressure ahead of the toughest winter our health service will ever face. I know people will step up and do their bit.”
The 1.4 million people in South Yorkshire joining the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester and Lancashire in Tier 3 means 7.3 million people, or 13% of England’s population, will now be living under the toughest restrictions.
The agreement with the Government is worth £41 million, including £30 million to support the region’s businesses, and £11 million for councils to support measures such as test and trace.
