Coronavirus: Lockdown tightened in Oldham and Blackburn but relaxed in other areas of north

Residents also told to avoid public transport except for essential travel

A sign asks pedestrians to keep their distance in Oldham, Greater Manchester (AFP/Getty)

People in Oldham, Blackburn and parts of Pendle will be told not to socialise with anyone from outside their household from midnight on Saturday to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Although business closures have been avoided, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said new measures mean social activities indoors and outdoors can be shared only by people who live in the same home.

No more than 20 people will be able to attend weddings, civil partnerships and funerals, and this must be made up of household members and close family only, and residents must avoid public transport, except for essential travel.

People can still shop and go to work, while schools and other childcare settings will open as normal under the new restrictions, the government said.

​Oldham’s council leader Sean Fielding had earlier this week warned a total lockdown could be “catastrophic” for businesses.

Commenting on the restrictions introduced on Friday, he said: “Over the last few days we’ve made a clear argument that an economic lockdown was not the answer for Oldham.

“Instead, we put forward a strong case to government for a different approach – one where we increase testing, use our powers to drive compliance and enforcement among those not currently following guidelines and carry out intensive door-to-door engagement in areas with higher cases.”

There have been 187 new cases of Covid-19 recorded in Oldham in the week to 17 August – the equivalent of 78.9 per 100,000 people, figures published on Thursday showed.

This was a decrease from 111.8 in the seven days to 10 August.

Pendle’s latest weekly rate was also down to 64.1, while Blackburn with Darwen’s was 67.5.

Elsewhere, measures will be relaxed in Wigan, Rossendale and Darwen, while Birmingham was added to a watch list as an “area of enhanced support” and Northampton became an “area of intervention”.

The DHSC said coronavirus cases are “rising quickly” in Birmingham, with 30.2 per 100,000 and more than half of cases in the last week in people aged 18-34.

Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, warned some people in Birmingham “have not been strict enough” with measures.

“People across the region have made an enormous sacrifice since the start of lockdown to keep the virus at bay, but the virus is now returning and recent efforts to counter that have been insufficient,” he said.

“It is evident that some people have not been strict enough when it comes to keeping up the basics of social distancing, hand-washing and wearing a face covering, nor following the guidelines on avoiding mass gatherings.

“This has to change immediately and I would ask every single citizen, both across Birmingham and the West Midlands, to redouble their efforts.”

Mr Street was scheduled to meet with Mr Hancock and local council leaders to discuss “urgent next steps” on Friday.

Ian Ward, the leader of Birmingham City Council, said the watch list should be a “wake-up call for everyone”.

Meanwhile, the Greencore sandwich factory that was at the centre of the outbreak in Northampton is to close from Friday, with staff and members of their households having to isolate for 14 days.

It was announced last week that more than 200 people had tested positive for Covid-19 after an outbreak linked to the factory.

The DHSC said regulations will be introduced “to ensure that this self-isolation period is legally enforced” and warned breaking the rules could result in fines being issued.

The new restrictions will not apply in the Darwen area of the Blackburn with Darwen upper tier local authority area, parts of Pendle, in Rossendale or in Wigan.

But they do come on top of the existing ban on indoor gatherings of more than two households in place across parts of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said the main objectives this week had been to avoid a full local lockdown in Oldham and to lift restrictions in areas with consistently low infection rates, such as Wigan.

They added: “We have all been concerned about the situation in Oldham and this is why we have sought to work in partnership both with the local council and the government to agree the most suitable and effective measures, as set out by Oldham Council.

“Increased measures to restrict the mixing of households are a much more sensible approach than local lockdown.”