Health secretary, Matt Hancock announced the lockdown on Monday evening due to the city having had “10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week”.
The lockdown is set to be reviewed again on 18th July. Mr Hancock said advice on people not travelling in or out of Leicester was a “recommendation for now”, but laws could be put in place to enforce the lockdown. The health secretary told the House of Commons on Monday evening: “We recommend to people in Leicester, stay at home as much as you can, and we recommend against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester.”
The easing of lockdown measures in England which are due on Saturday 4th July, which include the reopening of restaurants, bars and hair salons, will not be happening in the city of Leicester.
The lockdown rules in Leicester state that:
- All non-essential shops will close from Tuesday 30th June, which the health secretary said will be enforced by law this week
- Schools will close from Thursday 1st July and will not reopen until next term. However, they will stay open for vulnerable children and children of key workers
- People should avoid all but essential travel to, from, and within Leicester and should “stay at home as much as you can”
- The planned loosening of restrictions in Englandon Saturday 4th July will not go ahead in Leicester, meaning restaurants, pubs, cafes, hairdressers and cinemas will stay closed
- The relaxation of shielding measures on 6th July – which will allow the most clinical-vulnerable to spend more time outside – will not go ahead in Leicester.
These restrictions will take place till 18th July, where the government will review the rate of coronavirus in that time.
