Tougher restrictions for Bolton as COVID-19 cases rise
The Health Secretary has imposed rules as he warned of a possible second peak.
Bolton faces tighter coronavirus restrictions as the Health Secretary warns of a possible second peak.
Only takeaways will be allowed under the new rules and there will be a curfew for nightlife, with all hospitality venues having to close between 10pm and 5am.
Matt Hancock told the Commons that the rate of coronavirus cases in Bolton is the highest in the country.
The rise in cases in the region is partly due to socialising by people in their 20s and 30s - with a number of cases linked to some pubs, he added.
He also said that the current guidance which states that people cannot socialise outside their household will become law.
As a result of the announcement Bolton's NHS tweeted that they will have to restrict visiting to the hospital.
Matt Hancock's warning came following a 'concerning' rise in the number of cases.
A recent spike in cases across the country should be a reminder that the virus "remains a threat'', he said.
"This is not over,'' he told the House of Commons.
"Just because we have come through one peak doesn't mean we can't see another one coming towards our shores.''
England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has also warned that if people stop social distancing then "Covid comes back''.
Other coronavirus restrictions:
- It is understood that officials are considering reducing the number of people who can gather indoors in England. The current limit is 30 but it could be cut as a result of the current spike in cases.
- Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said a local coronavirus lockdown is being imposed in Caerphilly because there is evidence of "community transmission'' in the area.
- Restrictions on household visits across western parts of Scotland have been extended for a further week and expanded to also include East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.
Coronavirus cases rising
There were a further 2,948 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Monday, following the 2,988 reported on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May.
Just over 57,400 deaths involving Covid-19 have now been registered in the UK, according to figures from official data sources.
Mr Hancock told the Health and Social Care Committee that the first credible'' cases of coronavirus reinfection were starting to be seen.
"We have also just started to see the first credible cases of reinfection and, through genomic analysis, you can see it is a different disease to the one the person got the first time around.
"But in all the cases that I have seen it has been an asymptomatic second infection that has been picked up through asymptomatic testing.
"But the hard question is - because one of the most difficult parts of dealing with this virus is asymptomatic transmission - what we don't yet know is the transmissibility of the disease even from an asymptomatic person who might have had the disease before.
"But we have got a huge amount of work going into answering that question.''
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson told his Cabinet that ministers must ensure there is no complacency'' among the public, and particularly young people, after a rise in coronavirus infections.
Mr Johnson's official spokesman said: "The Prime Minister cautioned that in other countries which had seen an increase in infections this was followed a number of weeks later by a rise in hospitalisations.
"The PM said that what had taken place elsewhere was that young people had gone on to infect older generations that had become seriously ill, and it was vital to ensure that did not happen here.
"The Prime Minister said the Government must remain extremely vigilant and ensure that there was no complacency from the public and young people in particular in following the guidance on how to prevent the virus from spreading.''