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Leicester's mayor has urged people to "stick together" and stay at home after lockdown restrictions were tightened.
Non-essential shops have shut and schools are to be closed to most pupils in response to a surge in coronavirus cases in the city.
Sir Peter Soulsby said he hoped they would be able to work with the government to "get on top of whatever is out there".
The measures announced by Matt Hancock are the UK's first local lockdown.
The health secretary said the city had "10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week".
He said the measures would be enforced by police "in some cases".
The tightening of restrictions in Leicester will last for at least two weeks and apply to the city centre and a number of suburbs.
The loosening of restrictions in England on Saturday, including the reopening of bars, restaurants and hair salons, will also not be taking place in the city.
Sir Peter said he was glad the health secretary had introduced measures that went beyond just extending the current level of restrictions.
"What we got was more wide-ranging than we'd anticipated and I'm really grateful for that," he said.
"Because while it is a pain and a nuisance for us in the city to be subject to that level of restriction and to have the clock, as it were, turned back, it is nonetheless something that has some realistic prospect of being effective."
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the government's handling had left people in the city "anxious and confused".
The Leicester South MP said the guidance on essential travel was unclear and there had been "no clarity" on whether businesses in the city would receive financial help.
He urged the government to hold a press conference later to provide more detail.
Dave Stokes, chairman of Leicestershire Police Federation, called for the government to provide more detail on what the public can and cannot do during the lockdown.
"As we have seen over recent weeks and months, if the guidance and messaging from government is confusing for the public, then it will be almost impossible for our colleagues to police," he said.
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