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Restrictions banning households from mixing indoors or in gardens are to be brought in for Preston from midnight tonight, the Department of Health and Social Care has said.
Preston’s new restrictions mean that from midnight tonight, residents cannot have others in their homes and gardens; cannot visit other people’s homes or gardens, even if they are in an unaffected area; and are not permitted to mix with other household in indoor venues.
Social bubbles are exempt from the restrictions, and residents can meet in groups of up to six – or more than six if exclusively from two households – in outdoor areas such as parks and beer gardens.
Households can also visit indoor hospitality venues, so long as they do not mix with others.
The decision came after measures banning mixing between households were reviewed, a week after they were brought in, for residents in Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire, as well as Leicester.
UPDATE: Government has declared Preston as an ‘area of intervention’ following a spike of
Coronavirus cases in the city. The announcement means the city will be subject to additional measures seen elsewhere in the county, as of midnight 7 August. https://t.co/FfJzk4PFFy (1/4) pic.twitter.com/rzjAzL8mim— Preston City Council (@prestoncouncil) August 7, 2020
The Preston restrictions are in addition to those being brought in across
England from Saturday making face coverings mandatory (unless exempt) in indoor places of worship; museums and galleries; public areas in hotels and hostels; bingo halls; libraries; cinemas; concert halls; crematoria, aquariums and indoor zoos.
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.
“The evidence is clear, we all need to take extra precautions to protect our loved ones. Coronavirus affects all of communities and we all need to do our part to prevent the spread from continuing rise.
“I also want to be clear that this is affecting people from both south Asian and white ethnic backgrounds, particularly those living in poor socio-economic conditions in our city. We need to avoid mixing between households and to maintain two metre social distancing particularly in pubs and clubs.”
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