Some restrictions eased for Greater Manchester

The current Covid-19 restrictions will be eased slightly in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, as of Tuesday (8 September).

Since 31 July, people in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale (including Milnrow and Littleborough) have not been permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubbles) in private homes or gardens, pubs, cafes, restaurants and other leisure or entertainment settings.

Casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, exhibition halls, conference centres and indoor play areas (including soft play areas) will be able to lawfully reopen from Tuesday 8 September at 12.01am throughout the Rochdale borough.

Socially distanced indoor performances will also be able to resume, and remaining restrictions on certain close contact services (treatments on the face, such as eyebrow threading or make-up application) will be lifted.

Rossendale will be added as ‘an area of enhanced support’, meaning government will work with local authorities to provide additional resources – such as testing or contact tracing – to help bring the numbers of infections down.

These easements will bring Greater Manchester - apart from Bolton - Lancashire, and West Yorkshire, in line with the changes made in the rest of the country on 15 August.

Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham said: “We have been asking the government to consider easing restrictions on business opening across Greater Manchester and welcome the Secretary of State’s positive announcement today. There is no evidence that these businesses are causing the spread of the virus and we know that these premises are making arrangements to operate in a safe way.

“It is understandable that this won’t apply in Bolton for the time being, but we will be working hard with Bolton Council and partners to move to a position where the restrictions on business opening can be eased as soon as possible.

“However, it is important people continue to follow the rules on no social gatherings in the home and the public health advice on washing hands, face coverings and social distancing.”

Some local restrictions will continue:

• A ban on two households mixing indoors will continue in City of Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Trafford, Oldham, Bury, Bolton and Tameside

To help prevent the spread of coronavirus, residents of the borough of Rochdale should not:

• meet people you do not live with inside a private home or garden, except where you have formed a support bubble (or for other limited exemptions to be specified in law).
• visit someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside of the affected areas.
• socialise with people you do not live with in other indoor public venues - such as pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions. You may attend these venues with people you live with (or are in a support bubble with) but should avoid interaction with others.

The number of cases in Rochdale borough for the week ending 29 August stands at 44.1 per 100,000 people, up from the previous week. This means Rochdale currently has the third highest number of cases in Greater Manchester after Bolton with 59.1 and Oldham with 56.5 cases per 100,000.

 

 

The full list of areas that are still under local restrictions are:

Greater Manchester:

• Bury
• City of Manchester
• Bolton
• Oldham
• Rochdale
• Salford
• Tameside
• Trafford

Lancashire:

• A ban on 2 households mixing indoors will continue in Preston, Pendle and parts of Blackburn
• In parts of Blackburn and parts of Pendle residents will continue to be advised to avoid mixing with anyone from another household anywhere

West Yorkshire:

• The ban on indoor household gatherings will continue in urban areas of Bradford where the ban is in place

• In Kirklees, the ban on indoor household gatherings will continue in Dewsbury and Batley

• The ban on indoor household gatherings will also continue in parts of Calderdale

This means that people in these areas will continue to not be permitted to mix with other households (apart from those in their support bubble) within private homes or gardens. People are still able to meet others in groups up to 6 individuals, or 2 households, in outdoor public places.

The government has passed new laws to enforce the changes to meeting people in private homes and gardens. The police are able to take action against those that break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing fixed penalty notices (starting at £100 – halving to £50 if paid in the first 14 days – and doubling for subsequent offences).

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock has signed new national regulations formalising penalties for people who repeatably do not wear face coverings on public transport, shops and other areas where it is mandatory.

Fines for not wearing face coverings start at £100, which can be reduced if paid within 14 days. Repeat offenders on public transport or in indoor settings will now have their fines doubled at each offence. After the first offence, there will be no discount. This means a second fine will amount to £200 and a third fine will be £400, up to a maximum value of £3,200.

Support Bubbles

Your household is only the people you live with. If you have formed a support bubble these can be treated as if they are members of your household.

In England, if you live by yourself or are a single parent with dependant children aged under 18 - in other words, if there is only one adult in your home - you have been able to expand your close support network so that it includes one other household of any size. This is called making a ‘support bubble’ and means you are able to have close contact with them as you could if they were members of your own household. You should not change or add to your support bubble once formed.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/135757/new-lockdown-restrictions-your-questions-answered

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There are three walk-through testing centres at Rochdale Town Hall, Heywood Civic Centre and Market Place car park in Middleton.

Residents can book a coronavirus test by calling the free phone number 0808 1964 100 to book an appointment or by visiting the NHS website.

Local information about coronavirus can be found at: 

• rochdale.gov.uk/coronavirus