Anger as health chiefs in Indian variant hotspots kept in the dark about ‘local lockdowns by stealth’

Health chiefs in eight Covid hotspots hit by “local lockdowns by stealth” have said they were kept in the dark about shock new advice to people not to enter or leave.

The government guidance also says people in the areas – Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, North Tyneside and Hounslow – should not meet indoors and should stay 2 metres apart.

But there was no announcement of the move, which is being seen as a form of local lockdown in places with the highest rates of the Indian variant of coronavirus.

Cabinet minister Thérèse Coffey insisted the advice was simply “formalising the need to be extra cautious” in the 8 areas, saying: “I think it’s a sensible approach.”

But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the failure to alert local leaders was “utterly shameful” and branded local lockdowns the “wrong approach”.

Dominic Harrison, Blackburn with Darwen’s public health director, said: “Areas involved were not consulted with, warned of, notified about, or alerted to this guidance.

“I have asked to see the national risk assessment which supports this action – it has not been provided to us yet.”

Likewise, North Tyneside Council said there was “no communication” from the government before the advice for people to avoid the borough was quietly changed four days ago.

Extraordinarily, on Monday, its public health director Wendy Burke told local people: “It’s certainly okay to visit the area and obviously we’ve got some fantastic things for people to come and see.”

Yasmin Qureshi, a Bolton MP, told the Bolton News: “I was not told about this new guidance and I don’t think anybody was. It just shows the incompetence of the government in dealing with this.

“I am very angry and upset on behalf of my constituents who may have booked to go away to see family, paid for rail tickets, made arrangements.

“Had they known about this guidance I am sure the majority would not have made plans. It leaves them in a very difficult situation because these new guidelines are advisory.”

At Westminster, Layla Moran, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: “This is a major change to policy that will have a huge impact on people’s lives.

“Simply updating the government website without an official announcement is a recipe for confusion and uncertainty. Local people and public health leaders in these areas need urgent clarity.”

At 5.26pm last Friday, the Cabinet Office website was changed to say people in Bedford, Blackburn, Bolton, Kirklees, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside should “avoid travelling in and out….unless it is essential”.

The same advice for Bolton and Blackburn was issued a week earlier – on the day Boris Johnson staged a press conference – but the change was never mentioned.

Publicly, ministers have backed away from threats of official local lockdowns where the Indian variant is on the rise, as they seek to lift all remaining Covid restrictions on 21 June.

Ms Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said the 21 June final step on the roadmap, is “still very much under consideration”, pending further Covid data.