Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said there had been a "marked change" in the spread of the virus across the area.
"We have gone from a falling rate of cases in nearly all of our boroughs last week to a rising rate in nine out of ten affecting communities across a much wider geography," he said.
Mr Burnham said he agreed with the health secretary "that it is right to act on the precautionary principle and introduce modest measures now to bring down the rate of new infections".
He added: "I ask all Greater Manchester residents - young and old alike - to protect each other by observing these new requirements. They will be reviewed weekly; meaning the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed.
"This is a place which prides itself on looking out for each other. We now need to be true to that by not acting selfishly and keeping the health of others in mind at all times
