Coronavirus: Hollingworth Lake is now closed

Hollingworth Lake Country Park officials have made the decision to close after witnessing an 'extraordinarily large number of visitors' over the weekend.

The Government has asked people to only leave their homes if absolutely necessary, and to practice social distancing by staying two metres away from other people at all times. 

Yesterday in particukar (Sunday) there were reports across the UK of large crowds making the most of the sunshine and break from work.

Councillor Janet Emsley tweeted the news.

Her post read: "Unfortunately due to an extraordinarily large number of visitors at Hollingworth Lake it has become necessary to follow the National Trust approach and close the Country Park today to facilitate social distancing."

She added: "It's obviously not possible to physically stop visitors but public toilets and playgrounds will be locked; we are asking Royds to remove the ice cream van today.

"Notices will be displayed on entrances and information posted on social media."

Rochdale Council confirmed the statement and said the closure includes toilets, play areas and cafes. 

Most people now appear to have taken the Government's advice about social distancing on board.

Even during the rush hour, roads were extremely quiet across Oldham this morning.

Buses carried minimal passengers, as did the tram network throughout Oldham and the rest of the network.

As at 9pm last night Sunday, there were 205 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Greater Manchester - up from 167 on Saturday night.

The true number of cases is believed to be far greater.

At least eight people in the region have died after contracting COVID-19.

In Oldham, there are currently 23 confirmed cases.

Fast food giants McDonald's and Subway are both closing their doors to customers today.

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.