Coronavirus: Bolton restrictions tightened amid rise in cases

Tighter restrictions have been introduced in Bolton, including only allowing takeaways from hospitality venues, after a rise in Covid-19 cases.

The new measures also include a curfew which will require all venues to close between 22:00 and 05:00.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the town in Greater Manchester had “the highest case rate in the country.”

He said there were 120 cases per 100,000 in Bolton, which had already been under stricter lockdown measures.

The announcement comes after ministers and government advisers expressed concern over a “sharp rise” in cases across the UK, especially amongst the young.

Mr Hancock told the House of Commons: “Unfortunately, after improving for several weeks, we’ve seen a very significant rise in cases in Bolton.

“The rise in cases… is partly due to socialising by people in their 20s and 30s. We know this from contact tracing.

“And through our contacting tracing system we’ve identified a number of pubs at which the virus has spread significantly.”

As well as restricting hospitality venues, he said visitor limits will also be put in place in care homes in Bolton.

He said: “I want us to learn the lesson from Spain, America and France – not to have to learn the lesson all over again ourselves through more hospitalisations and more deaths, and take this action locally in Bolton.”

The move comes after plans to ease restrictions in Bolton were scrapped last week following a spike in Covid-19 cases.