Local councils worst-hit by the Indian Covid-19 variant have insisted there are no restrictions on travel in their areas and “no local lockdowns”.
There were complaints of confusion after the government updated guidance for Bolton, Blackburn, Kirklees, Bedford, Burnley, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.
The guidance asked people not to meet indoors or travel unnecessarily.
The councils said individuals could take “sensible” voluntary precautions.
A Downing Street source had earlier denied it was imposing local lockdowns by stealth when the advice was updated on 14 May and again on Friday without an announcement.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government wanted to encourage the public “to exercise their good judgement”, rather than issuing “top-down edicts”.
In a joint statement, the eight local councils said: “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.”
They said they are working to increase testing and vaccination and to support people self-isolating, adding “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”.
Greater Manchester’s Labour mayor Andy Burnham said the confusion over the advice was a “major communications error” which had a “major effect on people’s lives” and a government minister should issue a clarification.
Norma Redfearn, Labour mayor of North Tyneside, said “after a day of confusion” it had been confirmed the area was “at the same stage of the road map as the rest of the country”.
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the messaging had been “completely contradictory” at a time “when clarity is everything”.
He said: “If you’ve got a holiday booked for half term next week, does the government want you to cancel it or not? If you’ve got a wedding organised, do you have to cancel your wedding now?”
Bolton Council’s Conservative leader David Greenhalgh said there had been a “fear” the town would be singled out for a local lockdown. He said: “As long as they follow the guidance I don’t believe residents in Bolton should be cancelling holidays.”
Cases of Covid are at their highest rate for six months in Bolton, at 452.1 cases per 100,000 people. The Royal Bolton Hospital said it would take “urgent action” to manage an increase in Covid patients.