ALMOST 30 towns and cities are at risk of a local lockdown due to a spike in coronavirus cases.
Pendle in Lancashire and Oldham in Greater Manchester currently top the list of 29 areas that are being closely monitored by NHS officials.
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Where are the towns and cities on the UK's latest coronavirus local lockdown 'watchlist'?
Tighter restrictions have been imposed in Preston to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Greater Manchester and parts of East Lancashire and West Yorkshire have all been thrown back into lockdown after new cases of coronavirus spiked.
Restrictions in Leicester and the North West also remain in place, while Luton is undergoing 'enhanced support' from the government, meaning it is given additional resources including increased testing.
People living within the hotspot areas are no longer able to meet one another inside homes, private gardens or any other indoor areas.
They must follow these rules even when visiting people in areas without outbreaks.
Casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, exhibition halls, conference centres and indoor play areas are not permitted to open in the areas – as they are in the rest of England.
The Government's lockdown watchlist was first published on April 23 and was last updated on August 14, when Newark and Sherwood was added.
The current standings are based on samples taken between August 3 and August 9:
1. Pendle
2. Oldham
3. Blackburn with Darwen
4. Bradford
5. Leicester
6. Calderdale
7. Burnley
8. Preston
9. Rochdale
10. Manchester
11. Tameside
12. Salford
13. Bolton
14. Bury
15. Kirklees
16. Hyndburn
17. Stockport
18. Trafford
19. Wigan
20. Rossendale
21. Luton
22. Swindon
23. Northampton
24. Newark and Sherwood
25. Oadby and Wigston
26. Sandwell
27. Wakefield
28. Bedford
29. Peterborough
What towns and cities have been put into local lockdown already?
On July 30, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that parts of Northern England would start to face new restrictions due to localised outbreaks.
“Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire & East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe,” he tweeted.
“The spread is largely due to households meeting and not abiding to social distancing.
“So from midnight tonight, people from different households will not be allowed to meet each other indoors in these areas.”
At the moment, Leicester remains under limited lockdown restrictions, with residents awaiting news of the next review.
Manchester is also unlikely to see its lockdown lifted for a while too.
The affected areas are:
Greater Manchester
- City of Manchester
- Trafford
- Stockport
- Oldham
- Bury
- Wigan
- Bolton
- Tameside
- Rochdale
- Salford
Lancashire
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Burnley
- Hyndburn
- Pendle
- Preston
- Rossendale
West Yorkshire
- Bradford
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
Scotland
- Aberdeen
According to Public Health England Pendle has the highest infection rate in England at 89.7 cases per 100,000 people, in details released on August 14.
Oldham is also facing a rise with the council urging residents “act now” to avoid a Leicester-style local lockdown.
Figures for the week ending 8 August, show there were 255 new cases in Oldham, which is a rate of 107.5 cases per 100,000 people.
The week prior to this, there were 137 cases, which is a rate of 57.8 per 100,000.
Residents there and in other locked-down areas are not allowed to socialise with other households in their homes, gardens or any other indoor venue, either inside or outside the local area.
Travelling for work or education is allowed, but other travel is not advised.
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