Northern Ireland shuts schools; Liverpool slams revelers

LONDON (AP) — Northern Ireland on Wednesday introduced the tightest COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom, closing schools, pubs and restaurants to slow the spread of the virus.

The move came as England's new three-tiered system of restrictions took effect, with the northwestern city of Liverpool facing the most severe measures. Authorities in the city said hospital services were already heavily stressed by virus patients and decried pictures of partiers filling the streets as bars closed ahead of a local lockdown.

The restrictions in Northern Ireland include a two-week closure for schools and a four-week shutdown of pubs and restaurants, except for takeaway orders. The announcement came after talks among political parties in the region’s power-sharing government that stretched from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

“This is not the time for trite political points,″ First Minister Arlene Foster told lawmakers at the regional assembly in Belfast. “This is the time for solutions.″

U.K. health officials were also meeting Wednesday to discuss whether to add other areas of northern England — including Manchester and Lancashire — to the highest virus risk tier, meaning additional measures such as closing pubs could soon be imposed there. Only Liverpool was placed in the highest risk category when the plan was unveiled Monday.

In the U.K.’s system of devolved authority, responsibility for health is controlled by regional authorities. This means that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are imposing their own COVID-19 rules. The U.K. government controls the policy for England, but says it is coordinating with the others.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being criticized by all sides two days after announcing his three-tier approach. A report Tuesday showed that the government’s science...