Households in Oldham and Blackburn will be BANNED from meeting together from midnight on Saturday as the Government unveils its latest local lockdown rules
- Tougher measures will apply to Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn from weekend
- Rules will mean families in three areas will not be allowed to meet up together
- Residents also being told to avoid using public transport unless it is essential
- Matt Hancock said crackdown was needed to keep coronavirus ‘under control’
- Families already banned from meeting up indoors in parts of north England
- Wigan, Darwen and Rossendale being released from local lockdown rules
Households in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn will be banned from socialising together from midnight on Saturday as the Government announces new measures to stop the localised spread of coronavirus.
The Government said it had agreed the tougher restrictions with local leaders, with residents now being told not to meet with anyone from outside their own household.
Ministers said that ‘despite dedicated local efforts, evidence of rising rates in areas remain’.
But a drop in infection rates in Wigan, Darwen and Rossendale means they are now being released from local lockdown rules which applied to the Greater Manchester area.
The new rules will not prevent people from going shopping, going to work or attending child-care settings including schools which are due to reopen from September 1.
However, they do mean that social activities both indoors and outdoors can only be shared with people who live together.
Residents in the three areas are also being advised to avoid using public transport except for essential travel.
Meanwhile, the number of people who can attend weddings and funerals is recommended to be limited to household members and close family and no more than 20 people.
Local restaurants are being told not to allow walk-ins and to only seat people who have made reservations in advance.
The new rules, which will not apply in the Darwen area of the Blackburn with Darwen Upper Tier Local Authority area, parts of Pendle, in Rossendale or in Wigan, are in addition to the existing ban on indoor gatherings of more than two households in place across parts of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.
Households in Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn will be banned from socialising together from midnight on Saturday. Oldham shops are pictured yesterday
Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced further local lockdown measures which will apply to residents in Oldham, Blackburn and Pendle
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘To prevent a second peak and keep Covid-19 under control, we need robust, targeted intervention where we see a spike in cases. The only way we can keep on top of this deadly virus is through decisive action led by the people who know their areas best, wherever possible through consensus with a local area.
‘Working with local leaders we agreed further action [in] Oldham, Pendle and Blackburn. It is vital that everyone in these areas follow the advice of their councils, and abide by their local rules carefully.
‘Our approach is to make the action we take as targeted as possible, with the maximum possible local consensus.
‘To do that we are introducing a new process to increase engagement between local leaders, both councils and MPs, with the aim of taking as targeted action as possible. This will allow local councils to focus resources onto the wards which need more targeted intervention in order to drive infection rates down, and gives local people a stronger voice at the table.
‘Remember – if you get any symptoms you can get a free test, and you must isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.’