Covid guidance changed for areas hit by Indian variant

Travel guidance in England’s eight coronavirus hotspots is being changed after a public backlash, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed.

The health ministry said the wording would be amended so that it is clear that the latest recommendations are only advisory.

This comes after the shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth accused the government of imposing local lockdowns “by stealth”, after it secretly updated its guidance last week without briefing local officials in places such as Bolton, Leicester and North Tyneside.

Among the changes made on Friday, the government said that people should “avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential”.

A DHSC spokesperson said this phrasing will be updated to “make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions”.

“Instead, we are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent. 

“This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping two metres apart from anyone you don’t live with and minimising travel in and out the area. These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area.”

The step brings an end to a day of confusion, in which MPs criticised the government for its poor communication.

Conservative MP Dan Poulter said that - a year into the pandemic - ministers’ public health messaging “needs to be clearer”.

“People are being asked to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of information. What we need is much clearer information about the government’s plans to keep the Indian variant under control, what local measures may remain in place and for how long, and whether they will be legally binding,” he said.

Public health directors in the eight affected areas also took issue with the travel advice, telling residents to ignore it.

In a statement on Tuesday, they said: “Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: there are no local lockdowns.”

In response to the outcry, Downing Street said the guidance was “not statutory”.

Additional reporting from PA