COVID-19: New lockdown regulations and guidance will come into force from Tuesday 22nd September to curb infection rate
Further restrictions have been introduced across parts of North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire to curb rising infection rates.
All parts of Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, will now be banned from socialising with other people outside of their own households or support bubble in private homes and gardens, from 22nd September. Some wards in these areas had been exempt from restrictions on gatherings introduced at the start of August, but these wards will now also be subject to the ban.
Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington and Halton escalated to areas of intervention, with new restrictions in Wolverhampton, Oadby & Wigston, and parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.
In close discussions with local leaders, the Health and Social Care Secretary, NHS Test and Trace, the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), and the Chief Medical Officer for England have agreed to introduce local measures in several parts of the North and Midlands.
This follows major increases in COVID-19 cases in large areas of the North West, Yorkshire and small parts of the Midlands which mean the following restrictions must be urgently brought in to clamp down on infections.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “We are seeing cases of coronavirus rise fast in Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Warrington, Halton and Wolverhampton. Local leaders in these areas have asked for stronger restrictions to be put in place to protect local people, and we are acting decisively to support them.
“I know these restrictions will make every-day life harder for many, but I know that residents will work together and respect the rules so we can reduce rates of transmission.
“I urge local people to isolate and get a test if you have symptoms, follow the advice of NHS Test and Trace, and always remember ‘hands, face, space’. By sticking to these steps, we will get through this together.”
These decisions have been made in close collaboration with local leaders, with many requesting restrictions to help prevent further increase.
Rates in Liverpool have increased to 100.6, with Warrington rising to 111.2, Oadby and Wigston rising to 145.5, and Wolverhampton increasing to 61.8 per 100,000 in the past week (5-11th Sept).
These changes are in addition to the ‘Rule of six’ which was introduced nationwide on Monday, limiting the number of people who can gather indoors or outdoors to six. This rule is in place across the country and will sit alongside additional restrictions in some local areas.
The changes come as the weekly surveillance report is published by PHE, with a number of updates to this week’s Local Authority watchlist, published on gov.uk.
PHE, the JBC and NHS Test and Trace constantly monitor the levels of infection and other data on prevalence of the virus across the country. As has always been the case, measures are kept under constant review to reduce the spread of the virus and save lives.
