Manchester lockdown: Confusion as GPs text patients saying families can meet, contravening new regulations

Follow-up message admits mistake

Government advertising on coronavirus in Manchester, following a hardening of lockdown restrictions in parts of the North West. (Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Some patients in Greater Manchester have been left confused after receiving a text from their GPs which contradicts government advice, just days after increased lockdown restrictions were announced for parts of the North West due to the high infection rates there.

As part of an automated public health message sent to some Manchester residents, people were told they could still meet up indoors with members of another household.

However, as a result of the new tougher guidelines that were introduced last week, those living in Greater Manchester are not currently allowed to spend time with people from different households in homes and private gardens, with the same rule also applying to spaces like pubs and restaurants.

After being sent the incorrect guidance, social media users shared screengrabs of the message.

Jennifer Williams, who works as an editor at The Manchester Evening News, was among those who received the text and uploaded it onto Twitter.

"Please remember that coronavirus is not over. Please wash your hands regularly. Avoid handshakes and hugs. Stay 2m apart and, remember that indoor gatherings are for 2 households only," the message reads.

Like other patients, Ms Williams later received a correction from her GP practice, saying: "Please ignore the recent message sent in error, households should no longer be meeting up."

The confusion came shortly after the government was criticised for its communications strategy regarding changes to lockdown in the North West.

On Friday, the government was accused by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and council leaders of creating "confusion and distress" through the timing and content of its announcement.

A major incident was then declared in Greater Manchester on Sunday.

Sir Richard Leese, the Labour leader of Manchester City Council, told residents that they "should not be alarmed" by the news, describing the move as "standard practice for complex situations" which require agencies to use extra resources.

Greater Manchester currently has seven boroughs on the list of the 20 worst affected local authority areas for coronavirus cases in England.

Oldham, the second most badly affected borough in the country, has seen a large increase in its weekly infection rate, after it recorded 148 new cases over a seven-day period.

On Monday, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, tweeted figures from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine which show that the rate of infection in the North West stands at 1.1.

He added that this underlines "the need for caution and to follow the guidance".

Additional reporting from PA