Matt Hancock to announce if Northern England coronavirus rules will change on Friday

Matt Hancock is expected to announce on Friday whether local lockdowns will continue in parts of Northern England amid growing criticism from regional leaders. The Health Secretary and England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, chaired Thursday’s meeting of the Joint Biosecurity Centre. Around four million people in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and West Yorkshire have been unable to visit other households indoors since the end of July, while pubs stayed open. Last week, Mr Hancock announced a more targeted approach to restrictions, with the views of MPs sought to gain “the maximum possible local consensus”. He added this would allow local councils to focus resources on the wards which need more targeted intervention in order to drive infection rates down.