Around 4 million people were ordered not to mix with other households in Greater Manchester, the biggest city in northern England, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, though they can still go to the pub and to work.
The measures, introduced hastily at the start of the annual Muslim Eid al-Adha "feast of sacrifice", come after Britain reported its highest number of new COVID-19 infections in more than a month.
"The problem with this virus is that it thrives on the social contact which makes life worth living," Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky. "I totally understand the human impact of this but unfortunately that is how the virus passes on."
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