Tightening up of restrictions in areas of surging Indian variant

The Government has warned residents in areas where the Indian variant – otherwise known as the Delta variant – is most prevalent, should avoid meeting indoors and restrict unnecessary travel.

Nearly six million residents have been issued with the advice as cases continue to surge in the North West in places such as Manchester and Lancashire.

The new variant isspreading fastest in:

• Bedford Borough Council
• Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan)
• Kirklees Council
• Lancashire County Council (Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre)
• Leicester City Council
• London Borough of Hounslow
• North Tyneside Council

The new COVID-19 variant spreads more easily from person to person. To help stop the spread, you should take particular caution when meeting anyone outside your household or support bubble.

In the areas listed above, wherever possible, you should try to:

• meet outside rather than inside where possible
• keep 2 metres apart from people that you don’t live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don’t live with
• minimise travel in and out of affected areas

You should also:

• Get tested twice a week for free and isolate if you are positive
• Continue to work from home if you can
• Get vaccinated when you are offered it, and encourage others to do so as well
• Refer to local health advice for your area (linked above)

You should get tested for COVID-19. This includes:

• Arranging to have a PCR test if you have symptoms of COVID-19
• Participating in surge testing in your local area
• Getting regular rapid lateral flow tests if you do not have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Arranging a testing or managed quarantine package if you plan to travel to red or amber list countries. See further details

You should self-isolate immediately if you have symptoms or a positive test result for COVID-19. There is financial support if you’re off work because of coronavirus.

Further information on what you can and can’t do can be found here.