‘We will not shy away from further action if necessary’

THE GOVERNMENT will not “shy away” from taking further action to tackle coronavirus across England if necessary, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said.

He also insisted that the new rules banning indoor gatherings of people from different households were “crystal clear”, despite criticism when they were announced late on Thursday.

He said: “I appreciate these decisions do have significant impacts on people’s lives but we want to do it with the minimum impact.

“We’ve demonstrated that we’re prepared to take the action that’s necessary to keep people safe. That was true in Leicester when we took action there and we’re taking much more localised action in hundreds of different locations right across the country. We don’t shy away from taking it wherever it’s necessary.”

But many in the region continued to question the timing of the new regulations, with one senior local official telling The Yorkshire Post that councils had asked for any new restrictions to take effect after the beginning of Eid. The decision to impose them three hours before the celebration was “insensitive to say the least”, the source said.

Council officials were on the streets yesterday trying to engage with residents, though no police enforcement was expected.

Brian Booth, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, which speaks for rank and file officers, said: “It will be our colleagues who will now be on the front line of having to manage the situation.”

Prof Mahendra Patel, a public health expert at Bradford University, said the late night message on Twitter meant many Muslims celebrating Eid would not have seen it. “It’s good to see the Government take real action rather than dithering in any way but I think the delivery has to be in a measured fashion,” he said.