NOW 13M ARE HIT BY LOCAL LOCKDOWNS
LOCAL lockdown restrictions will be extended to cover around 13million people as Covid- 19 threatens to run out of control, it was announced yesterday.
Rules affecting 3.5million people in the North West, West Yorkshire and the Midlands come into force on Tuesday.
More are likely to follow as rates of infection spiral alarmingly in most regions.
Mothballed Nightingale hospitals, which have largely been unused, could soon be readied to take patients. Birmingham’s Nightingale Hospital has been moved back to ‘high alert’ and is ready to reopen in 48 hours if needed as cases continue to rise.
With the new restrictions delayed until Tuesday, council chiefs urged people not to behave irresponsibly over the weekend.
Warrington Borough Council leader Russ Bowden said people should not have ‘one more big night out’. David Baines, leader of St Helens Borough Council, said: ‘It’s not ideal that they have decided to announce these measures on a Friday but not introduce them until Tuesday.’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said council leaders had requested ‘stronger
‘Clearly something has to be done’
restrictions’ and ‘we are acting decisively to support them’. He said he wanted to avoid another national lockdown, adding: ‘I know that residents will work together and respect the rules so we can reduce rates of transmission.’
Bolton in Greater Manchester has the highest infection rate in Britain (189 cases per 100,000) with tough rules already in place. The North West is at the heart of the growing second wave. Merseyside, Warrington, Halton and most of Lancashire were the hardest hit by yesterday’s announcement.
Residents will no longer be able to socialise with people outside their household in homes or gardens and were advised not to socialise with anyone outside their household in ‘public venues’.
Hospitality will be hit too. Pubs and restaurants must offer only table service and close at 10pm.
People are also being asked to use public transport only for ‘essential purposes’, such as travelling to school or work, and avoid going to sporting events as spectators.
Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale in West Yorkshire must abide by the same home socialising rules. Parts of this region had similar restrictions lifted at the end of August, but infections have surged. The same rules will apply in Wolverhampton, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, which is also a hotspot with an infection rate of 145 cases per 100,000.
Mike Sandys, Leicestershire’s director of public health, said the latest infections were being spread across age groups and about half the cases were down to household clusters. ‘ Informal family gatherings are probably doing the damage,’ he said. Discrepancies between areas have also caused upset. Blackpool in Lancashire is not subject to any new restrictions despite having a rate of 38 cases per 100,000 – higher than other areas which are subject to curbs.
Pubs fear another financial hit and Jordan Bhatt, spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses, has called for help for firms in the affected areas, particularly in hospitality. Civic leaders backed the need for new measures to tackle the growing outbreak. Paul Foster, of South Ribble Borough Council, told BBC News: ‘The numbers are scary. It does appear that it’s