Hounslow Council Says There is No Local Lockdown
Advice amended to say travel to and from borough should be minimised
Hounslow Town Centre remained busy despite the confusing advice
Hounslow Council has dismissed suggestions that a local lockdown is in place after the government amended previous advice relating to the borough.
Hounslow has the highest rate of Covid-19 infections in London and it is believed that most of the cases are of the so-called Indian variant of the disease.
It was one of 8 local authority areas and the only in London that the government advised against travelling to or from unless the journey was necessary. The new guidance was published on a government web site on Friday 21 May but the authorities affected, including Hounslow, say they were not informed of it and only learnt about it due to media reports.
The advice has now been rephrased to say that travel to and from these boroughs should be minimised and the government has confirmed it is not currently intended to impose local restrictions.
People in Hounslow borough are also being asked to meet outdoors and stay 2m apart from anyone in other households, if possible.
A government spokesperson said, “We are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others in those areas where the new variant is prevalent".
The prime minister's official spokesman denied that government was in the process of introducing local lockdowns by stealth adding that the intention was to encourage the public "to exercise their good judgement", as opposed to issuing "top-down edicts".
Hounslow Council leader Steve Curran said, “It is unbelievable that new guidance came to light only by checking the Government website. Hounslow Council was not informed that we were subject to surge testing and vaccination in advance of the Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock’s announcement in the House of Commons last Wednesday. Ministers have been saying that we were informed prior to the changes. This is simply not true. Unfortunately, history is now repeating itself and again, we were not informed in advance of changes to the Government’s travel guidance for Hounslow.”
Hounslow's Director of Public Health said, “Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of Hounslow: There are no local lockdowns.
“In areas where the new COVID variant is spreading we are all working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation. There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic.
“We will keep sharing that and working with national officials to make sure people understand what they need to think about as they go about their daily lives.”
The Conservative Group of Councillors on Hounslow Council welcomed the clarification ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend when many are expecting to travel to meet up with family and friends.
Click here for where you can get tested and vaccinated in the borough.
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May 26, 2021