The town's businesses hope guidance on meeting indoors and travel is "only a short-term measure".

People are also asked not to go into or out of places hardest hit by the so-called Indian variant.

The UK has not banned international travel despite the emergence of coronavirus variants overseas.

A woman from Kirklees says she feels "vindicated" after holding off arranging her son's first birthday party due to the uncertainty over Covid.

Image source, Elizabeth Pannell

It follows the news the area is among eight areas where the government is advising people to avoid indoor gatherings and not to travel into and out of due to cases of the Indian coronavirus variant.

Elizabeth Pannell, 30, said: "I held off organising anything for his first birthday on Saturday because of Covid, and now I'm so glad I did.

"It's sad that yet again, Covid has ruined any chance for this little boy to have a normal day with his family.

“The government needs to get their act together, and communicate with the public better. We all knew how bad the India variant was, but they held off putting restrictions on travel in and out of the country. It's a joke."

Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the advice was "just about sensible extra caution and [trying] to get a grip locally with tackling the spread".

Dominic Cummings' testimony to the Health and Science select committees will be the ultimate box office moment.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted he has raised concerns with the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi about the support available for people in Hounslow following an increase in the Indian variant of Covid-19.

He added that he repeated his call for younger people to receive the vaccine to help control the spread of the virus.

The company will give the data to regulators to seek approval for use in young people aged 12 and over.

A Gomersal man suffering from terminal cancer says new Covid restrictions in Kirklees means time is running out for him to see members of his family.

Jonathan Hughes, 58, says he had had planned to go Edinburgh on 1 June for a couple of days to see his son but now this is "unlikely".

Mr Hughes says his oncologist told him a year ago to focus on "quality of life, not quantity" and postponing trips indefinitely is not an option; "For me time is going to run out," he says.

Mr Hughes adds: "It’s the lack of clarity that makes things difficult because you never know with this government when advice will be enforceable by law.

"There's a large part of me that would like to go to hell with what the rules are,but I’ve spent my life caring what the rules are, so it's difficult for me to be cavalier about it now."

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham speaks about the "confusion" over updated Covid guidance.

Doctors explain what we know about the Indian variant so far in five South Asian languages.

CEO Airbnb Brian Chesky says people's travel habits have fundamentally changed due to the pandemic.

Both the Manx government and the island's ferry operator made errors over Covid rules, Howard Quayle says.

Sandish Shoker
BBC News

Leicester City Council has said it was not told that the government had issued new advice, which urges people not to travel into or out of the city, due to cases of the Indian coronavirus variant.

Leicester is one of eight areas where the Department of Health and Social Care has told people to avoid meeting indoors.

The latest advice was published on the government's website on Friday without an announcement.

The city council said it had not been informed of the rationale behind the decision and hoped a meeting today with central government and Public Health England would give more details.

Image source, Reuters

A council statement said: "As it stands, Leicester has lower rates of the variant than other parts of the country, and we have a plan in place for stepping up our vaccination rate as agreed with the government last week.

"The new advice on the government’s website is just that, and we don’t have any evidence as to why people or businesses in Leicester should not continue to follow the existing national guidance.

"We always suggest that people should take a cautious approach and make sensible judgments when restrictions are eased as part of the government’s roadmap, and that still applies."

The authority said residents should take precautions when mixing indoors such as ventilating rooms and following the rule of six or two households.

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth, who is also Labour MP for Leicester South, described the situation as a local lockdown "by the back door" and called for the new guidance to be removed., external

The vaccines minister responds to accusations of "local lockdowns by stealth" from Labour.

A video of Baba Ramdev mocking patients for trying to find oxygen went viral earlier this month.

• A further 318 people have tested positive for Covid since yesterday, with two deaths also recorded
• Nicola Sturgeon said there are reasons for "cautious optimism" in Glasgow and East Renfrewshire ahead of Friday's review of restrictions.
• 3.1 million first doses of the vaccine have now been issued with Ms Sturgeon suggesting the impact of the jab programme could reduce the amount of “tough restrictions” needed in outbreaks.
• Opposition parties are concerned that surge testing and a more flexible vaccine appointment system are not in place.
• Ms Sturgeon believes "we will see venues or other places ask for proof of vaccination" in the future and the implications of that are being considered.

That's all from us today. Join us again next time. Stay safe.

Staff at Zucco in Leeds say they are "heartbroken" to shut just days after reopening post-lockdown.

Image source, PA Media

Brentford fans are confused as to whether they can watch their team in the Championship play-off against Swansea this Saturday.

Many supporters live in Hounslow, an area whose inhabitants have been advised by the government to not leave following a rise in the Indian variant of the Covid-19.

Supporters from both clubs had already set up a petition calling for the UK Government and football authorities to increase the capacity at the venue.

The game at Wembley Stadium is limited to 10,000 fans in line with current Covid-19 restrictions, with each club having an allocation of 4,000 tickets.

Jon Varney, CEO of Brentford Football Club told BBC London: "It really does require government intervention so we are asking both the EFL (English Football League) and the FA (Football Association) to speak to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

"In light of trying to get more fans into the stadiums, both fans – Swansea City and Brentford fans - have been very active and have already created an online petition and we’re urging all our supporters from both clubs to sign up to that petition."

Image source, PA Media

Green MSP Ross Greer tells the BBC update programme that Scotland’s testing regime is still not up to scratch more than a year after the start of the pandemic.

Mr Greer says things have improved in recent months but a more comprehensive “surge testing” strategy is needed.

“What we have seen in Glasgow and East Renfrewshire is the testing has come, and it has been a huge help, but it’s come too late to get a handle on it before it becomes a proper outbreak,” he says.

On vaccines, Mr Greer says a “hybrid system” of NHS-issued appointments and people booking slots for jabs now needs to be introduced.