North of England residents confused by 'ridiculous' lockdown extension while pubs stay open

Matt Hancock announced new lockdown restrictions overnight in parts of Greater Manchester and other regions in northern England.

That meant a ban on meeting indoors for families – which affected millions of people, particularly Muslims who celebrate Eid, as today is the first day of Eid al-Adha.

But the guidance – which was issued on Twitter, at 9.30pm last night – didn’t specify whether this ban was just on meeting indoors in households, or in general. From midnight, people from different households in Greater Manchester, parts of East Lancashire, West Yorkshire, and Leicester would not be able to meet each other indoors.

While there was a lot of confusion about what exactly people could and couldn’t do, much of the evidence seemed to suggest that the ban was only on meeting indoors as a house, not in a social setting.

People were quick to point out how nonsensical this new guidance was.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care said that families in the affected areas were allowed to go to pubs, but that two households couldn’t go to a pub or a restaurant together.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, pointed out that while quick action to stop community transmission was necessary, there were better ways to roll out this policy, particularly as it affected millions of people.

While pubs, restaurants and hairdressers can reopen, gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools will not be able to do so.

For people who live in Leicester, their level of lockdown may depend on where exactly they live within the county, but the guidance is still somewhat unclear.