Stricter curbs for England ahead of Eid

London, July 31

Millions of households in north England, including those in Manchester, Bradford and Leicester cities, face stricter lockdown rules than the rest of the UK from Friday amid a feared spike and second wave of Covid-19 cases.

The rules include a ban on households from mingling together indoors and comes just ahead of the Eid festival, which usually involves different households getting together.

“We’re constantly looking at the latest data on the spread of coronavirus, and unfortunately we’ve seen an increasing rate of transmission in parts of northern England,” said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

The minister said that the government has been working with local leaders across the region and chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee, where based on the data, it was decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, immediate action was required.

Hancock said: “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 Department of Health and Social Care admitted that for those preparing to celebrate Eid Al Adha over the weekend with friends and family, these restrictions will “come as a blow” but urged people to follow the new rules to protect against the deadly virus. PTI