Bolton is the latest city in England to see lockdown measures tightened after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it had “the highest case rate in the country”. The county of Caerphilly in Wales is also facing extra lockdown restrictions after coronavirus cases rose rapidly as well. In a bid to stop a second national lockdown, local authorities of areas with high infection rates can be locked down, or have extra restrictions introduced.
What you can and cannot do in lockdown
Local authorities implement local lockdowns in an effort to limit aa potential outbreak in their area.
This could mean locking down a hospital, factory or even an entire city.
Local authorities in England have the power to implement the following lockdown measures:
Close specific premises (such as shops, cafes and gyms)
READ MORE: Birmingham local lockdown: Is Birmingham going into lockdown?
As it stands, most local lockdowns across the country have implemented similar rules for people.
Most local lockdowns place a ban on gathering indoors with people not outside your support bubble, as this is one of the ways in which coronavirus is most quickly transmitted.
People in Caerphilly have been told not to leave the county without good reason, and should not meet indoors with anyone outside their household.
Residents of Manchester, Salford, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton and Leicester City cannot meet anyone outside their own household or support bubble, either in a home or a garden.
In Bolton, a city which has recorded 120 cases per 100,000 people, there are visitor limits on care homes, while restaurants can only serve takeaway and must close between 10pm and 5am.
People living in Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire are banned from meeting people from other households inside their home.
Local lockdowns are regularly reviewed and the restrictions are normally eased as soon as infection rates fall.
Restrictions in Aberdeen have now been lifted, while households can now mix again in Stockport, Burnley, Hyndburn and some parts of Bradford and Kirklees.
Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK which has not yet introduced any local lockdowns or restrictions.
