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Coronavirus: How will local lockdowns work? Coronavirus: How does lockdown work in Leicester and on a Herefordshire farm?
(12 days later)
The UK's first local lockdown has been introduced in Leicester, following a spike in coronavirus cases. A Herefordshire farm joined the list of places put under a local lockdown, at the weekend.
How will such restrictions be enforced and could they be used elsewhere? Meanwhile, Leicester remains under a city-wide lockdown - the first of its kind in the UK.
So, what is a local lockdown and how are they put in place?
What kind of places could have a local lockdown?
It could be anywhere - from a hospital, factory, school or one business in a building - to a whole city.
How are places with lots of cases identified?
The government's strategy is to have targeted responses to local clusters or outbreaks.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says "targeted action" is being taken against more than 100 local outbreaks of coronavirus in England every week.
A cluster is a group of cases in one place like a hospital, factory or school. When clusters are linked, this is defined as an outbreak.
The government uses data of numbers of cases in a particular place to help decide what action should be taken.
The government says that more cases are now being identified through testing.
England has more than 250 testing centres, and a dozen walk-in centres are being set up.
If a cluster or outbreak occurs, as well as closing buildings and premises, extra testing equipment, including mobile units, is sent to the affected area. Door-to-door testing may also take place.
Who decides when a local lockdown is needed?Who decides when a local lockdown is needed?
It depends whether there is a cluster or an outbreak. A single premises with a cluster is likely to be closed temporarily by the local director of public health and the Health and Safety Executive, and must legally remain shut.
A single premises with a coronavirus cluster is likely to be closed temporarily by the local director of public health and the Health and Safety Executive, and must legally remain shut.
These powers have been used previously to deal with salmonella or Legionnaires' disease outbreaks.These powers have been used previously to deal with salmonella or Legionnaires' disease outbreaks.
If there is evidence of a bigger coronavirus outbreak in a town, city or region, several organisations decide the response. Several organisations decide the response to deal with an outbreak over a wider area.
England's chief medical officer can advise a minister to use existing emergency powers to control it. This could mean introducing legislation which doesn't need voting on in Parliament. England's chief medical officer can advise a minister to use existing emergency powers, which could mean introducing legislation which doesn't need voting on in Parliament.
Local authorities will for the first time be given access to postcode-level data about the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in their areas. Local authorities can now access postcode-level data of cases for the first time, which shows extremely localised test results.
An agreement, signed individually with councils over the past week, gives them access to a digital dashboard which shows extremely localised test results. What does Leicester's local lockdown involve?
What could a local lockdown involve? While some restrictions have been eased in England since 4 July, in Leicester:
In Leicester, it will be similar to going back to the UK-wide lockdown introduced at the end of March. Residents also have to stay at home as much as they can, and non-essential travel to, from and within Leicester should also be avoided.
Residents will have to stay at home as much as they can, while people in other parts of England will have more freedom.
The reopening of pubs and restaurants for consumption on the premises, and the relaxation of social distancing across England on 4 July to "one metre plus", will not apply.
Non-essential travel to, from and within Leicester should also be avoided.
People or businesses that repeatedly flout the new law could receive fines of up to £3,200.People or businesses that repeatedly flout the new law could receive fines of up to £3,200.
But a future lockdown in another place might not be so tough. It will depend on the nature of the coronavirus spike. At the time the lockdown was imposed, Leicester's seven-day infection rate was "three times higher than the next highest city".
"It might be closing schools again if the increase is only seen in children and teachers," says Dr Nathalie McDermott, clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at King's College London. The latest figures, released last Saturday, showed its rates had gone down slightly but had not fallen steadily.
"Or it might be not opening restaurants and bars because you're concerned about the direction the trend is going in." Government chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said the city was "really quite an outlier" compared with anywhere else in the country.
Why are Leicester and its suburbs in lockdown? A review of the lockdown is expected this Saturday. Prof Van-Tam is not involved, but said he expected "a phased approach" to any decision to ease restrictions.
Mr Hancock told the Commons on Monday the city had "10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week". Can police enforce a lockdown?
Leicester's seven-day infection rate of 135 cases per 100,000 people was "three times higher than the next highest city". Admissions to hospital were between six and 10 per day - compared to about one a day elsewhere. Police have powers to enforce local lockdown. For example, if they believe that somebody is staying away overnight, they can tell them to return home.
Its local lockdown will be officially reviewed in two weeks although the Health Secretary Matt Hancock can end it at any time. Police can also fine people for breaking the rules, and they may also issue a "prohibition notice" directing somebody not to do something.
Could offices, factories or schools be closed instead? But if a Leicester family wants to go clothes shopping in Nottingham, for example, there is nothing legally to stop them.
The city-wide lockdown was brought in because "targeted action" had not worked, Mr Hancock said.
When many Covid-19 cases are found in one place like a hospital, factory or school, this is called a cluster. They can be dealt with by local directors of public health, often by closing the premises.
There have already been clusters in several parts of the UK:
When different clusters are found to be linked, this is defined as an outbreak.
Can police enforce the lockdown?
Police have powers to enforce the local lockdown, for example, if they believe that somebody is staying overnight somewhere other than where they live they can tell them to return home.
Police can also fine people for breaking the rules, with fines starting at £100, as before.
And they may also issue a "prohibition notice" directing somebody not to do something.
Have other countries tried local lockdowns?
In Germany, local authorities have the power to vary the level of restrictions in individual states, and a number of small lockdowns have been imposed recently.
One has also been enforced in parts of China's capital, Beijing after a recent outbreak.
What has been said about the rest of the UK?What has been said about the rest of the UK?
Public Health Wales said that a local lockdown was under consideration after the recent outbreak in Anglesey. However, First Minister Mark Drakeford said that any decision would be not be taken lightly.Public Health Wales said that a local lockdown was under consideration after the recent outbreak in Anglesey. However, First Minister Mark Drakeford said that any decision would be not be taken lightly.
The Scottish government - for which public health teams work for the NHS, rather than councils - says it is developing a "responsive system of community surveillance" at a national, regional and local level to identify outbreaks quickly. In Scotland, public health teams work for the NHS, rather than councils, and the Scottish Government says it is developing a "responsive system of community surveillance" at a national, regional and local level to identify outbreaks quickly.
In Northern Ireland, the government says that any potential clusters or outbreaks will be handled using "appropriate infection control" in line with its normal guidelines for handling an outbreak of a disease. In Northern Ireland, the government says that any potential clusters or outbreaks will be handled using "appropriate infection control" in line with its normal guidelines for handling the outbreak of any disease.