For days the borough of Hounslow has been known to be one of the so-called "hotspot" areas where the Indian variant of Covid-19 has been spreading.

What was not known was that the government had updated its guidance - as long ago as last Friday - to say people were advised not to travel into or out of these areas unless it was "essential".

No official announcement was made by the government, either to the media or parliament.

The changes were discovered by journalists on the government's website which had been updated to say people should "avoid" travel from or into affected areas.

It said: "In the areas listed... wherever possible, you should try to meet outside rather than inside where possible; keep 2 metres apart from people that you don't live with (unless you have formed a support bubble with them), this includes friends and family you don't live with; avoid travelling in and out of affected areas unless it is essential, for example for work (if you cannot work from home) or education."

New lockdown

In effect this was a new but unannounced lockdown just as the rest of the country was making its way along the roadmap set out by the government towards returning to as near normal life as possible.

By Tuesday morning, the media began reporting the changes to the advice - sending shockwaves through the local authorities affected who said the first they knew of the restrictions was when they saw news reports.

Nub News joined the rest of the media to inform people they should only leave or visit the borough if it was essential.

Many people took to social media to express their dismay. One said: "I live in Hounslow, my child goes to school in Richmond and I work in Ealing. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Hounslow Council leader Steve Curran pointed out that it was impractical to lock down one borough - Hounslow neighbours several boroughs and includes Heathrow Airport.

At lunchtime, Cllr Curran put out a statement saying the government had not informed the council of the new advice and urged ministers to provide clarity.

In the meantime, local businesses began to contemplate what the new guidance could mean and people planning trips over the looming Bank Holiday weekend wondered whether those plans were now in jeopardy.

It would mean even a short journey to Richmond Park or Kew Gardens would be out of bounds as that would have meant straying into another borough.

Play-off final worries

Only days ago, Brentford fans were celebrating the club's glorious progression to the final of the Championship play-offs with promotion to the Premier League the big prize.

That final is due to be played on Saturday at Wembley but the new guidance would have meant fans living in Brentford and the rest of Hounslow being advised not to attend.

Many had been celebrating securing tickets that had been rationed due to restrictions on how many people would be allowed to attend due to Covid-19.

Club officials contacted the council but discovered the town hall had not been informed of the new guidance and was not prepared for the implications.

Meanwhile, local authorities in neighbouring boroughs were warning their residents to restrict travel into the borough of Hounslow.

By lunchtime on Tuesday, a full-scale borough lockdown appeared to have been put in place - although there was even confusion as to whether the rules applied to just Hounslow or the whole borough, including Brentford, Isleworth and Chiswick.

"Do they mean Hounslow itself or the whole borough?" one person wrote on social media after TV reports centred on Hounslow Central.

All change by teatime

And then, by teatime, a complete government U-turn.

After local authorities of affected areas, including Hounslow, met with Whitehall officials, it was agreed that a joint statement would be released saying there were no restrictions - you could travel into or out of the borough of Hounslow.

The statement from directors of public health from all eight councils affected said: "Following the national coverage of recently revised guidance we have met with national officials and confirmed there are no restrictions on travel in or out of each of our areas: There are no local lockdowns."

In areas where the Indian variant is spreading, they said they were "working together to boost testing and vaccination and to support self-isolation.

"There are sensible public health precautions people can take as individuals in line with the sorts of advice we have all been following throughout the pandemic."

The day was not over. Government officials scrambled to provide an update on their advice for areas affected by the Indian variant.

Where are we now?

The government released a statement on Tuesday evening confirming they were not imposing local lockdowns but "are providing advice on the additional precautions people can take to protect themselves and others" in those areas.

Its wording was changed from "avoid" affected areas to "minimise" travel to and from them.

"We will be updating the guidance for areas where the new covid-19 variant is spreading to make it clearer we are not imposing local restrictions," a spokesman said.

"This includes, wherever possible, trying to meet outdoors rather than indoors, keeping two metres apart from anyone you don't live with and minimising travel in and out the area.

"These are not new regulations but they are some of the ways everyone can help bring the variant under control in their local area."

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