Having a criminal record creates hurdles for people seeking employment.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020 file photo, a man wearing a face mask walks past a statue of the Beatles, as new measures across the region are set to come into force in Liverpool, England. A half-million people in the city of Liverpool will be regularly tested for COVID-19 in Britains first citywide trial of widespread, rapid testing that the government hopes will be a new weapon in combatting the pandemic. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)LONDON – A half-million people in the English city of Liverpool will be regularly tested for COVID-19 in Britain's first citywide trial of widespread, rapid testing that the government hopes will be a new weapon in combating the pandemic. Rapid testing for health-care workers, teachers and students will be particularly useful in helping the city return to normal after the national lockdown ends, he said. “This first deployment of whole city testing in Liverpool is a really important step forward and is thanks to the big increase in testing capacity and our investment in new testing technologies,'' said Dido Harding, the head of the Test and Trace program.

Johnson told lawmakers that the goal of the new system was to save lives without “shuttering our lives and our society” through a new national lockdown. While the measures curb social interactions and the leisure industry, Johnson said shops, schools and universities will remain open in all areas. Under the new measures, areas in England are classified at medium, high or very high risk, and placed under restrictions of varying severity. Areas in the lowest tier will follow existing national restrictions, including a 10 p.m. curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on more than six people gathering. In Scotland’s two biggest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, pubs have been closed for 16 days to suppress the outbreak.