Rochdale joins Blackburn in bringing in FIVE new coronavirus rules in bid to avoid Leicester-style lockdown
ROCHDALE has today joined Blackburn in bringing in five new coronavirus rules in a desperate bid to avoid a Leicester-style lockdown.
The borough in Greater Manchester, which has a population of more than 220,000, has introduced strict measures after recording one of the highest rates of infection in England.
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From today, residents must wear face coverings in shops – a week earlier than the rest of the country are told to do so on July 24.
They must wear face coverings in public “as much as possible” and limit visitors into their home to just two people.
Locals need to keep two metres apart at all times and avoid physical contact with anyone outside their household – including hugging or shaking hands.
The strict instructions must be followed from today and will be reviewed in two weeks’ time.
5 STRICT RULES
During the period between June 29 and July 12, the borough of Rochdale had the fourth highest rate of cases per 100,000 – behind only Leicester, Blackburn and Bradford.
Rochdale Council's director of public health, Andrea Fallon, said: "The fight against coronavirus is not over.
“Although lockdown measures are being relaxed across the country, we can see from our local data that we need to remain vigilant to the threat posed by the disease.
Although we are a long way from the Leicester situation, we cannot be complacent and it is vital that everyone does what they can to keep this virus under control."
Council leader Allen Brett
"We have increased testing and that has shown us that we need to take action and ask everyone to help keep our infection rate down."
Council leader Allen Brett added: "All of us need to do whatever we can to keep the virus under control.
“Although we are a long way from the Leicester situation, we cannot be complacent and it is vital that everyone does what they can to keep this virus under control."
Leicester went back into lockdown on June 30 after a spike in infections, with all non-essential retail stores closed as well as hospitality venues which reopened in the rest of the UK on July 4.
COVID-19 SPIKE
Last weekend, the government drew up a list of 20 councils facing the worst outbreaks in England - which included Blackburn with Darwen local authority as well as Bradford, Kirklees and Rochdale.
Topping the list is Leicester, followed by Rochdale and Bradford in the ranking for the areas with the highest rate of coronavirus cases.
Mr Johnson said all councils will now be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces and cancel events.
FIVE NEW MEASURES FOR ROCHDALE
Here are the five new rules for Rochdale residents:
Wear face coverings in shops now – do not wait until July 24
Wear face coverings in public as much as possible
Limit visitors to your home to 2 people
Keep two metres apart at all times
Avoid physical contact with anyone outside your own household, including shaking hands or hugging
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He added that normal life would not return in full until November at the earliest, cautioning that nightclubs and soft play areas needed to remain closed while wedding receptions would have to remain capped.
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Councils have also been given powers to shut pubs and cafés without going to Government first.
The new rules allow town hall bosses to ban weddings and other gatherings at short notice.
WAFIELD IS UK'S NEW COVID-19 HOTSPOT
WAKEFIELD has been rocked by outbreaks at two factories and the asylum centre - with most victims showing NO symptoms.
The West Yorkshire town, which has a population of 350,000, is the UK's new coronavirus hotspot.
It is less than 20 miles from Bradford which is third in the Covid-19 league table of cas
Outbreaks in the Wakefield district have included a group of cases at a bed factory in Ossett and a food plant in Normanton.
Earlier this week the council confirmed 18 new positive cases at a home for asylum seekers in the city.
The council said in a statement: "Further to the release of government data showing an increase in the number of cases of Covid-19, it is expected that the Wakefield district will be identified as an 'area of concern'."
The city's director of public health, Anna Hartley, said: "The increase in case numbers has resulted from two large workplace outbreaks, where workforce testing identified large numbers of asymptomatic cases.
";It is this early warning system that has identified the need for everyone to increase thei efforts to tackle the spread of the virus, especially in areas of our lives where social distancing is not possible.
"Now is absolutely not the time to be complacent. We must all work together to take action and follow the simple safety advice to protect ourselves and each other."
