Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe reacts to new coronavirus measures

Parts of West Yorkshire - including the Bradford district - are under new localised restrictions, which include not being able to visit people you do not live with inside a private home or garden, unless they are part of your support bubble.

Councillor Hinchcliffe gave her thoughts on the new rules in a statement yesterday.

She said: "The government’s message is clear: we are going to have to live with this virus for many months to come. As a district, this means we must be ever-vigilant to keep the virus at bay.

"We all need to take responsibility for each other’s safety and show determination and resilience, working together over the winter to beat this virus.

“We know infection rates are rising both here in our district, as well as nationally.

"Nobody wants additional restrictions, but we must get on top of the infection rates, so that we prevent further economic restrictions which put more jobs at risk. We ask that everyone in our district follows these new rules.

“The government said these restrictions might last for up to six months. What we urgently need from the government is a clear commitment on the financial support package for businesses in our district who have already endured restrictions and the impacts of COVID-19 since March.

“I also repeat my call for the government to get a grip of the national testing programme and a more effective test and trace system which includes a strong local dimension.

"It’s vital that we speed up targeted testing in our communities, and to do that, government need to make sure the council has the testing kits and resources to continue to fight the virus over the coming months.

“We can all take simple steps. I urge everyone in our district to follow the COVID code: regular hand-washing, wearing a face covering indoors and keeping two metres apart from each other are all fundamental to preventing the spread of the virus, protecting our loved ones and sustaining jobs.”