Residents in Leicester and the borough of Oadby & Wigston have been waiting all day to hear whether the extended coronavirus lockdown in their area will be lifted.
A decision was due this afternoon, but the announcement was delayed a number of times during the day.
Just after 9pm today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared in front of cameras to announce new restrictions in the North of England. From midnight tonight, separate households have been banned from meeting indoors in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire.
The lockdown in Leicester has been lifted in part with pubs, cafes and bars allowed to re-open, but restrictions around meeting separate households indoors remain. All restrictions have been lifted in Oadby and Wigston.
A clear guide to the new changes and effective dates can be seen here.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the restrictions in the North were part of “immediate action” to keep people safe.
He added: “The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing.”
“We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of COVID across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe.”
The latest coronavirus data published today reported another 27 cases in Leicester and Leicestershire today. Out of these, 22 cases were in the city and 5 in the county (one of which was in Oadby & Wigston).
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