Covid-19: Leeds City Council asks for household mixing ban

Leeds was added to Public Health England's list as an "area of concern" at the beginning of September

Leeds City Council has asked the government to bring in a rule to stop households mixing indoors to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

On Wednesday, the Covid-19 rate in the city was 89.3 cases per 100,000 people, with council leaders asking ministers to implement the measure.

The BBC understands the local authority has also asked for changes to care home rules and test and trace.

The Department of Health & Social Care said it will work with "local leaders".

Officials have asked for meetings in gardens in the city to still be allowed, with the proposed rules allowing people to still meet as a group of six from different homes in pubs or restaurants.

In a letter, sent to the government and seen by the BBC, Leeds City Council asked for:

• A ban on households mixing indoors

• An easing on care home visits so one family member - who is regularly tested - can visit relatives

• The local authority to gain control of one in five Covid-19 tests through Test and Trace to allow for faster local contact tracing

• Supermarket priority hours for those who have been shielding

• A scheme to help secondary school pupils have access to a smartphone with the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app

It is not yet known if the government has responded to the requests.

Leeds City Council made a similar request to the government for a 22:00 curfew on pubs and bars earlier in September.

This was rejected on the grounds it did not want another different regional variation in lockdown rules, but a similar national measure was introduced on Thursday.

A ban on social gatherings in private homes and gardens started on Tuesday in nearby Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

A spokesman for the Department of Health & Social Care said it worked closely with local leaders and public health teams "to inform decisions on local interventions, taking into account a range of factors".

"While effective local management is the first line of protection against local outbreaks, in the event that local response is not sufficient to contain outbreaks and prevent the virus returning to general circulation, the government will act rapidly, working with local areas to introduce new measures if necessary and to contain the virus as quickly as possible."

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