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The restrictions will not be lifted at Bolton and Trafford, but will be eased at Stockport.
Parts of Greater Manchester will not have lockdown restrictions lowered as planned following a government U-turn.
The measures at Bolton and Trafford were due to ease overnight after a drop in cases in early August.
But “they will now remain under existing restrictions” after “a significant change in the level of infection rates in recent days,” the government announced.
The region’s mayor, Andy Burnham, called the easing proposal “illogical.”
Districts were supposed to allow people from different households to gather indoors and businesses to offer close contact services such as facials, but that has now stopped.
Health and Care Secretary Matt Hancock said the decision was made “in collaboration with local leaders after reviewing the most recent data” showing infection rates more than triple in Bolton and double in Trafford.
‘Frustrated and upset’
It comes after Burnham urged residents of those districts to ignore the easing of the lockdown and “continue to follow the guidance” of not having social gatherings at home.
He said that people across Greater Manchester should “continue to minimize mixing at home”, and said it was safer “for his family to do that”.
Trafford Labor Council Leader Andrew Western tweeted: “We should never have gotten into this mess in the first place; this has greatly damaged public confidence in the measures.”
“I am not calling this a victory. I am not pleased to see an increase in cases.”
Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh said it would have been “irresponsible not to acknowledge the unforeseen surge that we have seen in Bolton.”
He said he acknowledged that “many people will be extremely frustrated and upset by this decision,” but the municipality recorded the second highest increase in positive cases in the country.
“Please continue to abide by the additional restrictions and keep Bolton safe,” he said.
Hancock said: “We have always been clear that we will take swift and decisive action where necessary to contain outbreaks.
“We can lower the rates if we continue to work together and I urge everyone to continue to play their role by following the rules: getting tested for symptoms, isolating yourself and practicing social distancing.”
A Covid-19 spike in Bolton and Trafford led council heads to call for the restrictions to remain in place one day before they were to be lifted.
Bolton currently has one of the highest rates of new virus cases per 100,000 residents in England.
Measures have now been relaxed in Stockport, Burnley, Hyndburn, parts of Bradford, excluding the cities of Bradford and Keighley, parts of Calderdale, excluding Halifax, and parts of Kirklees, excluding Dewsbury and Batley.
According to government rules, people living in these areas can now:
- Socialize in groups of up to two homes indoors or in private gardens
- Spending the night at someone else’s house, but you must try to distance yourself socially.
- Book close contact services like facials and eyebrow or lash treatments
- Visit bowling alleys, skating rinks, soft-play centers, and casinos
The measures were imposed in late July amid a surge in cases.
Stockport has teamed up with Wigan to allow two households to socialize indoors.
But in Bolton, Trafford, Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Bury and Tameside it is still banned. At Oldham, people are advised not to gather with other outdoor homes.
Analysis
By Daniel Wainwright, BBC England Data Unit
The increase in cases in Trafford and Bolton shows how quickly the situation can change with the coronavirus.
On Friday, the government announced that it would ease localized lockdown restrictions in parts of Greater Manchester starting Wednesday, a decision that has now been reversed in those two areas.
Pointing to data for the week through August 20, he said “Cases in Bolton and Stockport fell from 25.6 (per 100,000 residents) to 18.9, and from 23 to 15.1 respectively, and Trafford fell from 27.1 to 17.8 “.
However, even then, there were concerns that the rate was increasing. Trafford Council Labor Leader Andrew Western said the latest data had shown a “slight increase.”
And according to data released Tuesday night, Trafford’s rate for the week through Aug. 29 was more than 35 cases per 100,000.
In Bolton it was 59 cases per 100,000, driven in particular by the high number of cases on August 27, 28 and 29.
Catalina Sastra, who runs Party and Play, funhouse in Bolton planned to reopen next week, but said the changes were confusing.
“We are on the edge of the abyss … we are going to open with an online reservation system, temperature reading, we have put all the screens … but it is only if it is on or off,” he said. said.
“It’s a bit like playing hokey-cokey. Are we in or out?”
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Reuters
Bolton has had its highest seven-day rate since late May
Western had written to Hancock accusing the government of causing “chaos and confusion.”
He said he was “very disappointed” that previous calls to maintain the restrictions were “completely ignored”, which “serves to exacerbate fears” that the government “only takes into account the views of Conservative MPs in affected areas” .
Mr Burnham said he was asking the government to “talk to us today about an exit strategy from this.”
He said general restrictions have become less effective, making it necessary to introduce “targeted interventions at the community level”, in particular “door-to-door interventions for testing, tracking and messaging.”
He also requested financial support to help people isolate themselves.
“We are confident that it would be much more effective than misdirected blanket restrictions,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Welfare said: “We are working closely with the leaders and local authorities of Greater Manchester and Lancashire in response to the changing situation and we keep all local restrictions under constant consideration.”
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