'Act as if you have the new coronavirus strain': plea from North West to those travelling from Tier 4

People travelling to the North West from any Tier 4 area or Wales are being urged to self-isolate and act as if they have the new Covid-19 variant.

Local leaders in Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire have pleaded with those entering the region to remain indoors for up to 10 days - and for those in Liverpool to get tested.

Greater Manchester's ten Directors of Public Health say 10 days of self-isolation should begin from 19 December, while Lancashire has asked anyone who has travelled from a Tier 4 area since Wednesday 16 December to self-isolate for at least five days.

Other people who live in the house do not need to self isolate unless anyone gets symptoms, but no visitors should be allowed in the house, even on Christmas Day.

Angie Ridgwell, chair of the Lancashire Resilience Forum (LRF), which is coordinating the county's response to the pandemic, said: "If you have travelled from a Tier 4 area, or recently mixed with someone from those areas, the last thing you'd want this Christmas is to put your family and friends at risk so please be extremely cautious. If you have any concerns at all that you may have coronavirus you should book a test."

It comes as warnings the new variant of coronavirus sweeping London and the South East has already spread to other parts of the UK.

During a press conference in Downing Street on Saturday 19 December, Boris Johnson said there was "no evidence" it was an any more severe strain or could cause more mortality but it "does spread more easily".

The first case of the mutant coronavirus variant has been identified in Cumbria and the mutant strain has already been linked to 17% of cases in the North West.

Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, Director of Public Health in Tameside, said: “The new strain of Covid, which is increasingly rapidly in Tier 4 areas, is extremely worrying. It is incredibly infectious and if you come in to contact with someone with this strain you are far more likely to catch it than the original strain.

“We are so concerned about the potential grave impact of this that we have taken the difficult decision to ask anyone who has travelled here for Christmas from any Tier 4 area or Wales to act as if they have this new variant, even if they have no symptoms, and self-isolate for at least ten days.

"We are asking people to follow the same rules households have done when school children have been asked to isolate after coming in contact with someone who is positive.

"The individual is the only one who needs to isolate, but if, during that time, anyone in the house gets symptoms, they must all isolate and the person with symptoms get a test straight away."

She added by urging everybody to "scrupulously" stick to guidance - including staying at least two metres away from others, wearing a face covering, washing hands frequently and staying in well ventilated places.

"If you’re inside this means having the windows open for at least 15 to 20 minutes every hour," she said.