Residents in West Lancashire are being urged to be more vigilant and follow Government advice as a local lockdown was imposed on Preston from midnight tonight (Friday, August 7).
It was announced this afternoon that new restrictions will ban households in the city from meeting indoors or in gardens. The new measures will affect 140,000 people.
Preston had been braced for the announcement since a rise in Covid-19 cases was confirmed last week.
There were 61 new cases in Preston in the week to August 4, the equivalent of 42.6 cases per 100,000 people – up from 21.7 per 100,000 in the previous seven days.
Ministers also confirmed that the current restrictions on gatherings in Greater Manchester, Leicester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire will remain in place.
Wider restrictions in Leicester, Blackburn and Bradford will also continue.
The lockdowns will not be lifted until next Friday at the earliest.
Cases in Sefton meanwhile continue to fall, with a rate of just 4 cases per 100,000 people.
Wards in Preston affected by the lockdown are: Grimsargh & Goosnargh; Broughton & Wychnor; Fulwood; Longsands; Ingol; Cottam; Cadley & College; Brookfield & Holme Slack; Haslam Park; Ribbleton; Lea & Marina; Moor Park; Plungington & University; Ashton-on-Ribble; Larches; St Matthew’s; St George’s; Frenchwood & Fishwick; and Preston Town Centre.
Making the announcements, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The past week has been difficult for many people in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, and I thank everyone in these areas for their patience and willingness to follow the rules.”
He said official data did not yet show a decrease in the transmission of the virus, meaning Ministers had no choice but to keep the current restrictions in place “to allow more time for the impact of this ban on indoor gatherings to be felt”.
The extension of the measures to Preston was “at the request of the local area”, he added.
“We are constantly examining the data on the prevalence of the virus in these areas, and we will review the measures again next week.
“As we continue to see rising rates of the virus across Europe, it is vital we take every precaution to protect our country. I urge everyone in these areas to follow the rules, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.”
The Lancashire Resilience Forum said: “Since the rise of cases was first announced last week, residents, communities and businesses have been asked to take extra precautions to reduce the spread of the virus.
These extra precautions are now mandatory and residents are still actively encouraged to get tested at the regional testing site based at Preston’s College if they are experiencing any symptoms of coronavirus.”
People in West Lancashire are being urged to ensure they play their part in keeping levels of cases down there.
Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council Councillor Ian Moran said “This is a critical time for the whole of West Lancs. We need everyone to play their part, it is really important you and your family know and are still following the safety advice especially where you need to wear a face covering, to keep washing your hands and keep a safe distance.”
Chief Operating Officer, Jacqui Sinnott–Lacey, said: ” Other areas within the North West including areas as close to the borough as Preston have needed to implement local lockdown measures and we really need to keep West Lancs moving.
“None of us want a local lockdown to be introduced so we all need to work together to prevent this. We are working closely with our partners across the whole of Lancashire but most of all we need everyone to remember Covid has not gone away and they need to follow the safety advice.”
LOCKDOWN RULES: WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO
Areas affected: Preston, Greater Manchester (City of Manchester, Trafford, Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford), Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Leicester.
You must not: Meet people you do not live with inside a private home or garden, except where you have formed a support bubble (or for other limited exemptions to be specified in law).
Visit someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside of the affected areas.
You should not: Socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues – such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions.
Punishments: Fines, starting at £100 and halving to £50 if paid in the first 14 days but doubling for subsequent offences.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE RULES?
Greater Manchester (including City of Manchester, Trafford, Stockport, Oldham, Bury, Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Rochdale and Salford): 2,835,686
Blackburn with Darwen: 149,696
Burnley: 88,920
Hyndburn: 81,043
Pendle: 92,112
Rossendale: 71,482
Bradford: 539,776
Calderdale: 211,455
Kirklees: 439,787
Preston: 141,818
Leicester: 329,839
Total: 4,981,614
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