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Coronavirus pandemic
Leeds households are expected to be banned from gathering in private homes or gardens in an attempt to reduce rising rates of Covid-19, the city council said.
The measure will start at midnight and would bring the city in line with the rules in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale, council leader Judith Blake said.
The government is expected to make the city an “intervention area” later on.
The council said Thursday it saw a “sharp increase” in infections in Leeds, with a rate of 98.5 per 100,000 people.
The measure will affect 780,000 people who live in the city, but some exemptions are expected, even for those with caregiving responsibilities.
‘Safety first’
Currently, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale residents are strongly advised not to socialize with people outside of enclosed public places.
The council said the measures for Leeds were expected to coincide with those areas, with the national “rule of six” and the 10pm curfew continuing alongside.
The councilors asked the government to allow households to meet in private gardens, but this request was rejected.
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Blake said the duration of the new measures “will depend on everyone doing their part.”
“We are keenly aware that no one wants any more restrictions on life in Leeds and together with our partners we have been doing absolutely everything in our power to prevent this,” he said.
“But the safety of the city and the public simply has to come first and now we have reached a point where we all need to take additional steps to contain the spread of this terrible virus within our communities.”
Victoria Eaton, the city’s public health director, said there were “very widespread community broadcasts throughout the city,” and compliance with self-isolation rules is still low.
“The expectation is that the restrictions will be in place for a longer period of time, potentially during the winter,” he said.
Expected rules for Leeds
- Not meeting people with whom you do not live within a private home or garden, except where you have formed a bubble of support
- Don’t visit someone else’s home or garden, even if you live outside of Leeds, unless you are in your bubble of support.
- You are advised not to socialize with people you do not live with in any public place in Leeds or elsewhere.
- Examples of these include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centers, places of leisure or entertainment, visitor attractions, and parks.
- Friends and family can still provide informal child care for children under the age of 14.
- It is recommended not to visit friends or family in nursing homes, except in exceptional circumstances.
- Exemptions to the home and garden rule include visiting a dying person, to fulfill a legal obligation, for work purposes, for the provision of volunteer or charitable services, for education or training purposes, to provide assistance in emergency, to facilitate a move, to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person and to attend a birth at the request of the mother
Source: Leeds City Council
Analysis
By David Rhodes, BBC Yorkshire Data Journalist
Despite repeated warnings from Leeds City Council, the number of Covid-19 cases in the city has increased throughout September.
In the seven days to September 21 there were a record 829 new infections identified. That beats the peak of new cases in the first wave of the pandemic in late April.
While massive testing has only been available since May, the sharp increase in cases in the past month has alarmed officials as the number of new cases has quadrupled in the space of three weeks.
Leeds is not alone in West Yorkshire: Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees have seen record numbers of new cases in the data for the last week.
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