Preston Added To Areas Under Local Lockdown In North-West
Get the latest on coronavirus. Sign up to the Daily Brief for news, explainers, how-tos, opinion and more.
Households in Preston will be banned from mixing indoors or in gardens from midnight, while restrictions already imposed on other areas will remain in place.
Measures banning mixing between households were due for review on Thursday, a week after they were brought in for residents in Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire, as well as Leicester.
The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed on Friday evening that current rules on gatherings in those areas would not be lifted and that Preston would become the latest place to be included in a ban on households gathering in homes and gardens.
Local leaders in Preston warned on Thursday that it could face a government intervention amid rising infection rates.
There were 61 new cases in Preston in the seven days to August 4, which is the equivalent of 42.6 cases per 100,000 people – up from 21.7 per 100,000 in the previous seven days.
At the request of the local authority, Preston will now be added to a watch list as an “area of intervention”.
The government said guidance will make clear that people should not be gathering with other households anywhere indoors.
The restrictions on gatherings will be reviewed again next week, with any changes to be announced by Friday August 14.
UPDATE: Government has declared Preston as an ‘area of intervention’ following a spike of coronavirus cases in the city. The announcement means the city will be subject to additional measures seen elsewhere in the county, as of midnight 7 August. https://t.co/FfJzk4PFFy (1/4) pic.twitter.com/rzjAzL8mim
— Preston City Council (@prestoncouncil) August 7, 2020
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “The past week has been difficult for many people in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and east Lancashire, and I thank everyone in these areas for their patience and willingness to follow the rules.
“Yesterday...
