New lockdown restrictions imposed in Bolton

Stricter lockdown restrictions have been imposed in Bolton after a spike in cases of Coronavirus. The new restrictions will limit all hospitality venues to takeaway services only and require them to be shut between 10pm and 5am. There will also be a ban, enforceable by law, on meeting with different households in public, outdoor settings. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the town in Greater Manchester had "the highest case rate in the country," with 120 in every 100,000. The announcement comes following a nationwide rise in cases of the virus, in particular among young people. 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 in Bolton is partly due to socialising by people in their 20s and 30s. We know this from contact tracing. "And through our contact tracing system we've identified a number of pubs at which the virus has spread significantly." There will also be new limits put in place at care homes in Bolton. "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 health secretary said.