Lockdown restrictions in parts of England including Greater Manchester and Leicester to remain in place

Lockdown restrictions in parts of England, including Greater Manchester and Leicester, are to remain in place, the Government has said.

Restrictions on household gatherings in parts of the North West, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester will continue, the Department of Health said.

The latest data does not show a decrease in the number of cases per 100,000 people in the area, and shows a continued rise in cases in Oldham and Pendle while numbers remain high in Blackburn with Darwen, the department said.

The measures will be reviewed again next week.

Health minister Edward Argar said: “I’d like to thank everyone in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, East Lancashire and Leicester for their continued patience in following these vital rules put in place to tackle the spread of the disease – I know it hasn’t been easy.

“We will review the measures again next week as part of our ongoing surveillance and monitoring of the latest data.

“It is essential we all remain vigilant and I urge everyone in these areas to continue to follow the rules – wash your hands regularly, follow social distancing, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.”

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