Garden visits have been banned as part of new snap local lockdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus in northern England.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night announced shock new restrictions affecting everyone across Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire – from midnight.
But while separate households can no longer mix in gardens, they can meet in parks and outdoor spaces.
The new rules also apply in Leicester – which has seen the UK's first local lockdown after a surge in virus cases – but the Midlands city is now allowed to reopen pubs and restaurants.
For updates on coronavirus, follow our live blog HERE
The new restrictions – put in place just hours after they were announced – are in response to the surging number of cases per 100,000 people in the impacted areas.
While data from Public Health England JBC suggests transmission among households is a key infection pathway in the area.
The areas that these changes apply to are:
- The Greater Manchester area
- Pendle
- Hyndburn
- Burnley
- Rossendale
- Blackburn with Darwen
- Bradford
- Calderdale
- Kirklees
- Leicester City
It means people in these areas will not be permitted to mix with other households, apart from those in their support bubbles, in private homes or gardens.
Some exemptions will be put in place, including for the vulnerable.
According to the official government guidelines, it will be "illegal for people who do not live together to meet in a private home or garden, except for limited exceptions to be set out in law".
"You should not host or visit people you do not live with, unless they are in your support bubble.
"If you live in the affected areas, you should not visit someone’s home or garden regardless of whether this is in or outside of the restricted area."
The government will sign new regulations to make these changes legally enforceable - with local authorities and police afforded powers given extra powers.
Speaking on Thursday evening, Mr Hancock said: "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.
"We've been working with local leaders across the region, and today I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee.
"Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe.
"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.
"We take this action with a heavy heart, but we can see increasing rates of coronavirus across Europe and are determined to do whatever is necessary to keep people safe."
