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Reuters
Residents of Greater Manchester have been told that they cannot mix with other homes in private homes or gardens.
The government has been accused of causing “confusion and anguish” with its handling of the new blockade rules.
People living in Greater Manchester and other parts of northern England have been told that they cannot mix with other homes in private homes or gardens.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, along with council leaders, raised “concerns” about how the changes were announced by the government.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said “sometimes we have to move fast.”
The government announced the new closure restrictions shortly after 9:15 PM BST on Thursday.
“We announced the decision as soon as possible,” added Hancock, who said he had been working with “local authorities, such as Andy Burnham” to address an increase in cases.
On Friday, a statement issued by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in association with council leaders said the timing and content of the announcement “has caused confusion and distress to our residents.”
It is “strongly recommended” that in the future “all supporting details be made available to the public at the time a public or media statement is made,” the GMCA said.
Greater Manchester leaders also said they are not convinced that including garden meetings in the restrictions, which will be reviewed weekly, is “a proportionate measure.”
“Therefore, we ask the government to provide more evidence or modify the regulations,” added a GMCA spokesperson.
More support is also needed for recently opened hospitality businesses, as well as for people who have been protecting themselves, the GMCA said.
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Zoe Patrick
Zoe Patrick said blocking will make childcare “difficult”
Millions of people in parts of northern England are subject to the new restrictions, which prohibit separate households from meeting at home, following an increase in Covid-19 cases.
The rules affect people in Greater Manchester, eastern Lancashire, and parts of West Yorkshire.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the force “will engage with people, explain current circumstances and encourage people to do the right thing to comply with government guidelines.”
“We will only take compliance measures as a last resort, when people are not listening and putting others at risk,” added a GMP spokesperson.
People in Greater Manchester have described their confusion at the sudden news.
Zoe Patrick, 33, of Stockport, said the rules meant that she and her husband would have a hard time caring for their son.
“This is very difficult for us now, since we had our son’s grandparents to help us … but now, of course, these new rules mean that we cannot do that, so we will have to fight alone.”
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Jenny Cooper
Jenny Cooper has been protecting herself since March, saying the measures feel “disappointing.”
Jenny Cooper, 36, of Burnage, has Crohn’s disease, so she has been protecting herself since March.
She said: “It is really important to keep the vulnerable safe, but it feels very sudden.
“We were on the cusp of freedom. It is disappointing as many of us feel abandoned.”
- Coronavirus: Are there likely to be more local blockades in England?
Hotel firms have also been hit by the sudden restrictions.
Piotr Pawlowski, who runs Cafe Bistro in Flixton, Trafford, said he had received cancellations for his tapas nights this weekend, which he had been preparing all week.
“We are not going to do the numbers that we should do so that food is wasted,” he said.
The café remained open to go during the closing, but suffered a loss of sales of 30-40%.
He said the new restrictions, which prohibit members of two different households from mixing in restaurants, would not help, but “it is something we must follow.”
“Safety is the most important thing for us and our clients,” he added.
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Saif Al-Islam Chaudhry
Saif Al-Islam Chaudhry said that he would celebrate Eid in a public park.
Saif Al-Islam Chaudhry, 35, an art company owner, said “it is not a pleasant feeling for anyone.”
“I think the timing of this may seem dubious to many people.”
Referring to the Eid celebrations, he said: “If I understood the new restriction correctly, Muslims can use the existing guidelines to gather in public parks. That is what I intend to do today.”
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Jason Bailey
Jason Bailey, owner of a street food event, said the timing of the measures is “horrible” for business.
Manchester Grub street food business owner Jason Bailey, 39, said, “This could be the setback to push us to the limit.”
“Keeping people safe has to be the top priority … This is how it was done, the moment is horrible.
“We are already reading questions from people totally confused by the ads trying to cancel their table reservations, even though we are an outside food market.
“Without a doubt, we will spend more time and money trying to cope with everything, and right now we are only sustainable as a business that operates with reduced capacity.”
Analysis
Daniel Wainwright, BBC England Data Unit
Many of the areas subject to the strictest rules are among those with the highest rates of new infections in the past week.
In Greater Manchester, the only district in which cases have decreased substantially is Rochdale, but it is still one of the areas with the highest infection rates of over 300 local authorities in England.
Oldham’s cases in particular have increased and the local council sounded the alarm earlier this week.
In the week to July 26, the area recorded 134 cases of coronavirus, up from 44 the previous week. This means almost 57 positive tests per 100,000 people in Oldham that week.
Trafford went from 26 cases to 91, which equates to more than 38 per 100,000 residents.
While Wigan is way down the table for new cases, his numbers have also increased.
Bolton has seen no increase in the week through July 26, but provisional data for the week through July 28 suggests it may rise slightly, though these figures are subject to revision as more test results come in.
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