So what now?

The restricted zones will still have to go without non essential business such as bars, restaurants and leisure facilities, and a ban on non essential travel and gatherings of more than six people will continue.

Schools however will also be open despite those located within the city having closed for the summer recess.

How are people reacting?

Jennifer Thomas, from the Federation of Small Businesses stated many of her members expressed "disappointment" and "confusion"..

"I suppose the question now for those non-essential retailers which can open is: 'Should I open if nobody's going to be coming or travelling to me?’

"They're just going to be incurring more costs of being open, of paying for their staff, paying for the store to be open, but if nobody's coming that's a really tricky decision for them.”

However in areas due to come out of lockdown imminently a sense of cautious optimism exists. Hairdresser Sharon Cochran, and her Enderby based salon said: "I was delighted, at the same time I was a little apprehensive, it's still a week away.

"That's three weeks we've been closed longer than the other salons.

"It's just quite overwhelming, it's just I can't wait to get back to work again."

Calls for a lifting of the lockdown:

Leicester’s mayor Sir Peter Solsbury had previously called for 90% of the city's lockdown to be lifted and had warned of the impending anger and resentment an extension of the lockdown would create. 

Sir Peter also stated that only a 10% portion of the city had indeed experienced peaks in the virus and that the government had gotten the city in to a ‘messy situation’ with it’s policy of extension. 

Originally intended as a way of reversing a peak in transmission rates of the virus, Leicester’s lockdown was extended on June 29th, seeing non essential shops and schools closing down once again.

The Government’s response:

The Department of Health and Social Care previously said it "makes no apology" for trying to reverse infection rates.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Leicester West MP Liz Kendall was critical of the lack of speed in which the government shared data leaving both residents and business owners confused

In response Nadine Dorries, Health Minister stated that it was the combined decisions of both the mayor and the Leicestershire County Council that had created the original lines on the lockdown map.

On Wednesday evening, Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated that the government’s decision to extend or lift the deadline would be based upon 14 days of data gathered during the extension.

Data from Public Health England recently shows a drop in Coronavirus cases per 100,000 population in Leicester from 127.2 in the seven days to 5 July to 104.4 in the seven days to 12 July.

It was 143.6 in the seven days to 28 June, just before the local lockdown was imposed.