LOCK OF THE NORTH
Ban on social contact between households for 4.5MILLION in North West & West Yorkshire including Manchester and Bradford
MILLIONS of Brits across Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire were last night banned from meeting indoors as ministers scrambled to stop Covid-19 “bubbling up”.
The orders came as England was hit with 846 new positive cases - the highest number in 32 days - adding to fears the country is facing a second wave of the virus.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to discuss the matter in his coronavirus press conference today.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was introducing the clampdown for 4.5million people with a “heavy heart” but was chilled by soaring infection rates in Northern England.
And he said the spread in nine areas - including the cities of Manchester and Bradford - was “largely due to households meeting and not abiding by social distancing rules”.
So from midnight members of different households are now outlawed from meeting in private gardens or indoors, including homes, pubs and restaurants.
It comes as:
- Leicester lockdown partially lifted as pubs and restaurants reopen on Monday
- Brits with coronavirus symptoms will be forced to self-isolate for ten days instead of seven to halt an infection surge
- Boris Johnson was urged to "keep calm" over fears of a second wave or risk destroying the economy
- England hit with 846 new cases yesterday - the highest in 32 days
- Luxembourg axed from the UK's safe travel list within days and Belgium set to follow
- Thousands of Brits tested for coronavirus with swabs could have received false negatives
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The affected areas include all of the 2.8million residents of Greater Manchester, as well as the Lancashire towns of Blackburn, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale.
And in West Yorkshire, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees were also hit.
Leicester was also included in the households ban, but pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will reopen on Monday.
Leisure centres, gyms and pools will remain closed.
The announcement has seen a furious backlash, with Brits taking to Twitter to voice their anger and confusion.
One Brit wrote on Twitter last night: "Bit of a shambles this new lockdown ruling today (that affects Halifax).
"So I’m alright to go for a pint with my mates but I can’t go and sit with my mum who lives on her own? Answers on a postcard please."
Another added: "To be honest I no longer have a clue, just fed up with it and the fact my parents haven’t left the house for months, it’s a joke."
'WE CAN'T BE SELFISH'
Mr Hancock insisted he was “determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe”.
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said there had been a “marked change” across his boroughs in recent days.
He added: “We have gone from a falling rate of cases last week to a rising rate in nine out of ten, affecting communities across a much wider geography.”
He added: “The more we stick to the new rules, the quicker they will be removed.
"We can’t be selfish.”
The new restrictions were announced on the first day of Eid, with later clarification that celebrations can take place at places of worship as long as social distancing is observed, but not in private homes.
The hotspots were slapped with the special measure as part of the Government’s strategy to use rolling localised lockdowns to try avoid a wider national second lockdown.
As of now pubs and shops in the affected area remain open and people from the same household can visit together.
But ministers did not rule out going further if this attempt to control the virus did not work.
Defending the move, Mr Hancock insisted he was "determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe",
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: "We have gone from a falling rate of cases in nearly all of our boroughs last week to a rising rate in nine out of 10 affecting communities across a much wider geography.
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"In Rochdale, the one borough where cases have fallen, they are still too high.
"I ask all Greater Manchester residents - young and old alike - to protect each other by observing these new requirements.
"They will be reviewed weekly; meaning the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed."
The shock announcement came after Boris Johnson warned between ten and 30 places in Britain are seeing Covid-19 cases “bubbling up”.
Speaking in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, the PM said yesterday: “There are between ten and 30 places where you are seeing it bubbling up a little bit.”
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What can residents banned from socialising indoors do?
- You can go to the pub or a restaurant, but only with your household/bubble
- You can only be with members of your household or bubble in your home or garden
- You can celebrate Eid and go to a place of worship but only if you follow social distancing - celebrations with members outside your household cannot take place in your home or garden
- You can go on holiday but only with members of your household or bubble
LOCKDOWN RULES
Does my household include close family members?
Your household – as defined in law – is only the people you live with.
What will be illegal?
It will be illegal for people who do not live together to meet in a private home or garden, except for limited exceptions to be set out in law. You should not host or visit people you do not live with, unless they are in your support bubble. If you live in the affected areas, you should not visit someone’s home or garden regardless of whether this is in or outside of the restricted area.
Can I still meet indoors with people in my support bubble?
Yes. Where people from single adult households (people who live alone or single parents with dependent children aged under 18) have formed a support bubble with another household, they can continue to visit each other, stay overnight, and visit other public places as if they were one household.
Can I still meet people outdoors?
In line with the national guidance, you can continue to meet in public outdoor spaces in groups of no more than six people, unless the group includes only people from two households. You cannot meet people you do not live within a private garden.
At all times, you should socially distance from people you do not live with – unless they are in your support bubble.
I live in this area. Can I still meet with my family and friends to celebrate Eid?
Due to higher rates of infection, if you live in this area you should not host or visit friends and family in each other’s homes or gardens. It will shortly be illegal to do so, unless specific exemptions apply. You also should not meet friends and family in other venues – including restaurants or cafes.
Up to two households, or six people from any number of households may meet outdoors (excluding people’s gardens) where there is a lower risk of infection. If you do so, you should still socially distance from those you do not live with, and avoid physical contact.
You may attend a mosque or other place or worship, where Covid-19 Secure guidance applies, but you must socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings). We recommend at this time that, if possible, prayer/religious services take place outdoors.
Can I still go to work in this area?
Yes. People living inside and outside of this area can continue to travel in and out for work. Workplaces must implement Covid-19 Secure guidance.
I live in this area. Can I still go to cafes, restaurants, the gym and other public places?
Yes. But you should only go with members of your own household – even if you are going outside of the restricted area.
I live in the area. Can people from outside of the lockdown area visit me at my house?
No. This will be illegal.
Do I still have to shield if I live in this area?
Clinically extremely vulnerable people will no longer have to follow the shielding guidance from the 1 August, unless they live in Blackburn with Darwen in the North West and other local affected areas across England where shielding continues.
Can I visit a care home?
You should not visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances.
Can I still have my wedding if it’s in the lockdown area?
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies in these areas can still go ahead. No more than 30 people should attend a marriage or civil partnership, where this can be safely accommodated with social distancing in a COVID-19 secure venue. .
Can I travel outside of the lockdown area to attend a wedding ceremony?
Yes
Can I travel into the lockdown area to attend a wedding ceremony?
Yes. Weddings should be limited to no more than 30 people and subject to COVID-19 Secure guidelines. People living outside the lockdown areas may travel into the areas to attend a wedding, but should not go into a private home or garden.
Can I still visit a place of worship in the lockdown area?
Yes, but you must socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (e.g. face coverings). We recommend at this time that if possible prayer/religious services take place outdoors.
Can funerals still take place in the lockdown areas?
Yes. Funerals should be limited to no more than 30 people and subject to COVID-19 Secure guidelines. People living outside the lockdown areas may travel into the areas to attend a funeral.
Can I holiday in the lockdown area, or visit shops, leisure facilities, or cafes in it?
Yes. However, you must avoid socialising with people indoors when doing so.
Can I travel in a car with someone I do not live with?
You should try not to share a vehicle with those outside your household or social bubble.
Mr Johnson continued: “I think the country as a whole understands that the best way to deal with this is if we have tough local lockdowns to get it under control in those towns.”
Last week we told how Blackburn overtook Leicester to become Britain’s coronavirus hotspot after cases doubled in just one week.
And the shocking data that spooked ministers today showed Blackburn hit by 85.3 cases per 100,000, Leicester with 57.7, Oldham with 53.1, Bradford 44.9, Trafford 39.9, Rochdale 30.9.
The national average is currently 7.2, according to NHS Digital.
Meanwhile, campsites, caravan parks and holiday homes in Devon and Cornwall are full to bursting as
Leicester MP Liz Kendall called the Government's handling of the local lockdown "utterly shambolic".
She tweeted: "This has been an unbelievably difficult period for our city but peoples hard work & sacrifices have paid off.
"However, the Govt's handling of this lockdown has been totally shambolic and lessons must be learnt for the future to prevent others going through the same."
Blackburn with Darwen, Leicester, Oldham, Bradford and Trafford are the places with the highest rates of the virus per 100,000 people.
It comes as new figures released show England had the highest number of excess deaths in Europe during the coronavirus pandemic.
By the week ending May 29, England had a relative cumulative age-standardised mortality rate of 7.55% - meaning it was 7.55% higher than the average mortality rate between 2015 and 2019.
Although Spain had the biggest spike in excess mortality - deaths from all causes, not just coronavirus, above the five year average - England has had the longest continuous period with more deaths than usual.
How many people are affected?
- Greater Manchester - 2,835,686
- Blackburn - 149,696
- Burnley - 88,920
- Hyndburn - 81,043
- Pendle - 92,112
- Rossendale - 71,482
- Bradford - 593,776
- Calderdale - 211,455
- Kirklees - 439,787
- Total affected - 4,509,957
- Total affected - 4,509,957
- Leicester - 354,224
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TEN-DAY ISOLATION
INFECTED Brits must now selfisolate for ten days — three more than at present — to try to prevent a second Covid-19 wave.
It comes as government scientists say there is a “low but tangible possibility” sufferers are infectious for seven to nine days.
Officials expect only a relatively small number to be affected.
The clampdown follows a continued spike in cases in parts of Europe. There are about 700 confirmed cases a day in the UK.
Medical scientist Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London, said: “Keeping the infection rate low is now a top priority.”
The UK's daily coronavirus death toll rose by 38 to 45,999 yesterday.
And worrying data shows the number of new Covid-19 infections has risen by more than a third in just two days.
In total, 846 people tested positive in the 24 hours to 9am on Thursday.
It means 737 Britons are being diagnosed with the disease every 24 hours, on average — the highest level since July 3, when the average stood at 749.
Meanwhile, Mr Hancock has denied the Government is pushing "hysteria" and insisted a second wave of coronavirus is rolling across Europe.
The under-fire Health Secretary yesterday morning expressed concerns over the number of cases in not just Europe but across the globe.
He was quickly blasted for scaremongering, with senior MPs accusing him of acting like the “Grim Reaper”.
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They urged him to to use a “stiletto not a sledgehammer” to tackle fresh Covid outbreaks.
Appearing on Sky News, Mr Hancock vowed to do whatever it takes to stop the virus peaking again in Britain.
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He said: "I am worried about a second wave.
"You can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe."
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