Some social media posts likened the decision to stopping families from meeting up just hours before Christmas Day LONDON: Britain’s health secretary on Friday defended his decision to order a lockdown across northern England just hours before Muslims were due to start Eid Al-Adha cerebrations. Matt Hancock said people from different households would be banned from meeting indoors in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire, and parts of West Yorkshire — areas with sizeable Muslim populations — after a spike in cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Hancock announced the move in a tweet after 9 p.m. local time on Thursday evening, less than three hours before the rules were to come into force, sparking a huge social media backlash.]