The latest rules and advice for Leeds issued today, 25 September 2020.

In order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus you must not:

• host people, you do not live with in your home or garden, unless they’re in your support bubble
• meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of the affected areas unless they’re in your support bubble

People can still come inside your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law:

• where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble;
• to attend a birth at the mother’s request; to visit a person who is dying (the visitor can be someone the dying person lives with, a close family member, friend or, if none of those is visiting, anyone else);
• to fulfil a legal obligation; for work purposes, (see guidance on working safely in other people’s homes or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services;
• for the purposes of education or training; for the purposes of formal and informal childcare (informal childcare is a new exemption from this week);
• to provide emergency assistance; to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm;
• to facilitate a house move; to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person; to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents.

The police will be able to take action against those that break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing fixed penalty notices starting at £100 for those who participate in illegal gatherings.

In addition to these restrictions, the advice is also:

• Not to socialise with people you do not live with, unless they are in your support bubble, in any public venue either in Leeds or elsewhere. Examples of public venues include pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues, or visitor attractions and parks.
• Not to visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances.
• To follow all relevant transport guidance when making a journey into, within or out of the areas affected, wear a face covering on public transport and try not to share a car with those outside your household or support bubble.

The latest Leeds 7 day infection rate (including cases up to 19 Sept) is now up at 98.5 per 100,000, and our 7 day positivity rate has also risen to 8.4%.

In summary, the pattern across the city continues to be dynamic, reflecting widespread community transmission, and with cases in all wards.

Not surprisingly with the return to education, we have rate rises in student areas and bigger rises amongst young people – but rates have also risen across most age ranges. Most cases are in the White British population. The number of schools with cases is growing because of the widespread community transmission, but in the main, these are being managed. The number of care homes with cases has reduced.

The important advice continues to be:

• Keep a safe distance wherever you can
• Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds
• Cover your face in enclosed spaces
• Stick to the new national “rule of six”
• Stick to the new local restrictions on social contact
• Isolate when you need to/are advised to

In addition, please:

• Only get a test if you have one or more coronavirus symptoms – high temperature; a new, continuous cough; a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. Book a test online or call 119 for a test
• Get the App now that it is available, and get a QR code if you run any venues
• Be aware of the penalties for breaking the rules and note that additional enforcement activity is taking place