COVID 19: New Rules On Gatherings Across The North

New rules on gatherings in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire have just been announced after increases in COVID-19 cases across the region.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that new rules on social gatherings will be introduced with immediate effect. This is in response to an increasing trend in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area, and data from Public Health England (PHE) and the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), which suggests transmission among households is a key infection pathway in the area.

Areas that these changes apply to are:

The Greater Manchester area
Pendle
Hyndburn
Burnley
Rossendale
Blackburn with Darwen
Bradford
Calderdale
Kirklees
Leicester City

The new rules mean that people in these areas will not be permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens.

Some exemptions will be put in place, including for the vulnerable.

The government will sign new regulations to make these changes legally enforceable. These regulations will give local authorities and police forces the powers to enforce these restrictions and more details on these will be set out when the regulations are published.

Households may go to hospitality, for instance bars and pubs, but new guidance will insist that two households should not go to hospitality together.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

“We're constantly looking at the latest data on the spread of coronavirus, and unfortunately we've seen an increasing rate of transmission in parts of Northern England.

“We've been working with local leaders across the region, and today I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee. Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe.

“The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing. So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas.

“We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of coronavirus across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.”

The restrictions currently in place in Blackburn, announced last Friday, which saw indoor swimming pools, indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sports facilities remaining closed, will continue.

From Saturday, these leisure facilities will open in Luton, bringing it in line with the rest of the country.

For those preparing to celebrate Eid Al Adha this weekend with friends and family these restrictions will come as a blow but everyone is being urged to follow the new rules and to protect the ones they love from catching coronavirus.

Mosques and other places of worship have reopened for prayer and communal worship, but in a different socially distanced and COVID-19 Secure way. This means that while mosques may remain open, many will not able to welcome as many worshippers as before.

Showing symptoms?

Anyone with any symptoms must isolate immediately and get a test for free by going online or ringing 119.

Everyone must continue to socially distance and regularly their wash hands to help bring this virus down further so we can all return to normal as soon as possible.