Lockdown restrictions extended to Preston

Preston has been declared an ‘area of intervention' following a spike in cases. From midnight it will be included in the restrictions placed on East Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

This means residents will not be able to mix with other households in indoor sites, including hospitality venues, except for social bubbles.

Residents will be able to meet in groups of up to six (or more than six if exclusively from two households) in outdoor areas such as beer gardens.

Lancashire's director of public health Dr Sakthi Karunanithi said: "In the past week, the number of positive cases in Preston has increased significantly and it is extremely important that we act now to prevent the situation from getting any worse… We need to avoid mixing between households and to maintain two-metre social distancing, particularly in pubs and clubs."

Restaurateurs in parts of northern England last week were similarly given just a few hours' notice as the government imposed restrictions banning different households meeting indoors in areas of Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

The relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions was also paused in Luton and Blackburn with Darwen after an increase in cases, and earlier this week restrictions were reimposed in Aberdeen with pubs and restaurants told to close.

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