Covid: New restrictions in North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire - BBC News

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• Coronavirus pandemic

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Tighter restrictions will come into force in Lancashire, Merseyside, parts of the Midlands and West Yorkshire after significant increases in Covid-19 cases, the government has said.

The new rules ban separate households from meeting each other at home or in private gardens.

Pubs and restaurants must also shut early in parts of Lancashire and Merseyside.

The measures will come into force from Tuesday.

Nearly 4.7 million people are to be affected by the new rules.

The government said Lancashire (excluding Blackpool), Merseyside, Warrington and Halton had been escalated to "areas of intervention" after "major increases" in cases.

New restrictions are also being put in place in Wolverhampton, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire, and all parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

Some areas of West Yorkshire had already been subject to restrictions implemented at the start of August but they were eased. They are now subject to these new rules.

Residents are not allowed to socialise in their homes or private gardens in:

• Lancashire (excluding Blackpool)
• Merseyside, Warrington and Halton
• Wolverhampton, Oadby & Wigston
• Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale

Pubs must shut between 22:00 and 05:00 and offer table service only in:

• Lancashire (excluding Blackpool),
• Merseyside, Warrington and Halton

Residents are asked only to use public transport for "essential purposes" in:

• Lancashire (excluding Blackpool)
• Merseyside, Warrington and Halton

Residents are asked to avoid attending amateur or semi-professional sports events as spectators:

• Lancashire (excluding Blackpool)
• Merseyside, Warrington and Halton

Support bubbles will not be affected by the new rules.

Analysis

By Daniel Wainwright, BBC England Data Unit

We have been used to seeing Blackburn with Darwen towards the top of the list of areas with high rates of new coronavirus infections for some time, along with other parts of east Lancashire.

Now the rules affect the whole county apart from Blackpool.

Based on the latest data published by the government for the week to 14 September, Blackpool, with 32 cases per 100,000 people, is towards the lower end for new infections across the county, but still higher than Lancaster and Ribble Valley, which are at 24 and 23 per 100,000.

Infection rates in Lancashire are highest in Hyndburn (144 per 100,000) and Preston (135 per 100,000)

Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire recorded 71 cases, up from 42 the previous week.

Wolverhampton's appearance in the lockdown list comes after neighbouring Sandwell, itself a neighbour of Birmingham, saw households told to stop meeting.

It recorded 52 cases per 100,000, up from just 10 per 100,000 in the last week of August.

Calderdale's rate was the same, but the other areas of West Yorkshire affected - Bradford and Kirklees, recorded 71 and 88 per 100,000 respectively.

Coronavirus cases continue to rise across Merseyside with Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens and Warrington in the top 12 worst affected areas of the country, according to the latest seven-day figures.

The mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, said these restrictions would be "difficult for us all" but "we must do everything we can to curb rising infection rates and protect our families".

"Our city region is renowned for being kind, friendly and community-spirited. We now need to stick to those principles, respect these new restrictions and make sure that we look out for one another," he said.

image copyrightEPA

On Wednesday Warrington Borough Council appealed to residents not to visit other households to give the town "a fighting chance" after cases rose from 80 on 4 September to 213 the following week.

Council leader Russ Bowden said: "We have already taken strong steps this week... These new measures will strengthen this work.

"I am urging local people to help us by not seeking to take advantage of 'one more big night out' this weekend."

Leader of Knowsley Council, Graham Morgan, urged people to "follow the rules to stop the spread of this horrendous virus".

Kirklees Council leader Shabir Pandor said "frequent changes" in restrictions could impact effectiveness and also people's mental health.

He said Kirklees' Outbreak Control Board had written to the government to ask them to "reconsider this decision".

However the leader of Wolverhampton council welcomed the area's new restrictions, saying: "We need to break this cycle."

Neighbouring Sandwell, Birmingham and Solihull have had similar restrictions introduced.

Councillor Ian Brookfield said: "If we don't break the cycle we'll end up like many other parts of the country who've now got curfews [and the] hospitality sector closing down."

Most parts of Greater Manchester are already subject to restrictions, with Bolton - which has the highest number of cases in the country - bringing in measures restricting restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs to takeaway only, and requiring all hospitality venues to close at 22:00.

The government said Greater Manchester's restrictions would continue.

Restrictions were brought in overnight across large parts of north-east England, affecting almost two million people.

The government introduced the rule of six across England on Monday.

In other key developments:

How have you been affected by the restrictions so far? What concerns do you have about the new rules?

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2020-09-18 13:20:00Z
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