Is Oldham going into lockdown? Why people are worried about potentially ‘catastrophic’ new local coronavirus rules

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said an Oldham lockdown wasn’t ruled out, and the government would do ‘whatever is necessary to make sure we keep this virus under control.’ Oldham could be on the brink of a local lockdown as cases continue to spike in the Greater Manchester town. Matt Hancock said a local lockdown was not ruled out for Oldham, which has the highest rates of new infections in England, and topped Public Health England’s (PHE) red alert list of areas to watch. As a whole, Greater Manchester is seeing a concerning rise in cases, with experts saying “household transmission” is driving these new infections.