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Greater Manchester has avoided being placed on ‘level three’ of the new government lockdown system, which means that its bars and restaurants will remain open for now.
The MPs were briefed at lunchtime before an announcement from Boris Johnson later this afternoon, after days of confusion and anger over the government’s plans for the conurbation.
They were told that instead of the harsher lockdown measures that have been confirmed for the Liverpool city region, the Greater Manchester public will be told not to mix with other homes anywhere inland.
That means people will be able to mingle in the gardens, although it is understood that it was not specifically mentioned in the briefing.
However, MPs were warned that while hospital admissions are not as high as during the first peak of the pandemic, they will get there unless action is taken.
(Image: MEN Media)
The government is actively seeking a request for ‘summary closing powers’ from the councils here, which would allow them to shut down any business that is not deemed to be in compliance with Covid’s safe rules instantly.
A financial support package, said to be set at £ 3 per population head, has also been confirmed, which would total around £ 9 million for Greater Manchester, and is believed to be intended to be part of a move towards the location of contact tracing system. That’s a move the region has been calling for for months.
However, it is understood that the government intends to recover money already provided to local authorities for Covid work at the same time, so the final financial support package remains unclear.
The ministers have also made it clear that the region’s designation could change if the data changes.
Andy Burnham, MPs and council leaders will see the result as an important outcome, after a weekend of political outrage across the North over the government’s approach and proposals.
However, there is also a belief that the government will act now to make local areas take much more political responsibility for the outcome in their areas.
In response to the news, Andy Burnham said that there should now also be financial support available for businesses that will lose trade as a result of the ‘indoors only’ rule that comes with the Tier 2 rules.
“We are pleased that the government has listened to what I and the ten leaders have said consistently throughout this,” he said.
“We are prepared to take on more responsibilities, especially to improve testing and tracking.
“But none of this will work without a complete financial package, both for our boards and for our companies, which will be affected by these restrictions. What we will not accept is the government transferring responsibility and, in particular, blame without adequate resources to do the job. “
More details are expected from the government this afternoon.
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