Warrington will be placed under tier 3 coronavirus restrictions from midnight, the government has announced.
Going into tier 3 means pubs and bars have to close unless they serve substantial meals while households are banned from mixing indoors or in private gardens and beer gardens or other public spaces.
Additional closures will include betting shops, adult gaming centres, casinos and soft play centres and areas.
Residents should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK and others should avoid staying overnight in the very high alert area.
In Warrington, infection rates are among the highest in the country and continuing to rise rapidly, with case rates at 361 people per 100,000 among all age groups. Although infection rates were originally higher in the younger population, the area is now seeing rises in the older population with case rates at 217 per 100,000 for over 60s, which is a 20% rise on the previous week.
The government will be providing a financial support package of £1.68m as well as £4.2m in business support funding. This will support local contact tracing, the enforcement of restrictions, and the provision of further local level data. This is in addition to the £1 billion of funding for local councils the prime minister set out earlier this month.
Warrington joins the Liverpool City Region, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and south Yorkshire in the top tier.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “I know that these new measures will mean sacrifices must be made by the people in Warrington, and I want to extend my thanks to each and every one of them for recognising the severity of the situation and sticking to the rules.
“We have agreed a support package designed to help businesses while boosting efforts to control the virus locally, and will not hesitate to take similar action in any area of the country if infection rates continue to rise. Please remember - now is the time for us all to work together to get this virus under control.”
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick said: “The restrictions we have agreed together will only be in place for as long as they are absolutely necessary. They will be reviewed jointly in 28 days’ time.
“The government is working with closely with local leaders as we tackle this challenge together, for the benefit of all the people of Warrington.”