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Boris Johnson is expected to pass the toughest level 3 coronavirus measures for millions more in the north of England later Thursday as Downing Street put last-minute pressure on local leaders in Greater Manchester to agree. the changes.
New restrictions also appear imminent in London, where MPs were invited to a briefing with Health Minister Helen Whately on Thursday morning to discuss the increase in cases in the capital.
Andy Burnham, the Labor Mayor of Greater Manchester, will have final talks with No. 10 this morning. Burnham has been reluctant to move her region into the “very high” risk category, which would mean the closure of pubs that do not serve food and a ban on mixing at home, and has said that the financial support package on offer is not sufficient.
MPs in Greater Manchester will have a mid-morning telephone briefing Thursday with Whately, where a MP said they expected to be told their region will be placed at level 3, along with Merseyside. Lancashire MPs should also call Health Minister Jo Churchill.
Level one – medium
Stores, schools and universities remain open in all categories.
At level one, in addition to national regulations and restrictions, for example on the use of face masks in retail settings and on public transportation, residents are expected to:
- follow the rule of six if you meet indoors or outdoors
- pubs and restaurants close at 10 pm
Level two – high
In level two areas:
- no domestic mixing indoors
- the rule of six applies outdoors
- pubs and restaurants close at 10 pm
Level three: very high
- no domestic mixing at all, whether indoors, outdoors or in hospitality venues
- The rule of six applies in public outdoor spaces like parks.
- pubs and bars that do not serve food to be closed
- guidance not to travel in and out of the area
The move was recommended by medical director Chris Whitty at a meeting of the Joint Center for Biosafety last night.
Local leaders received a briefing from government scientists who warned that coronavirus deaths will continue to rise for at least three weeks and that the NHS is at risk of being overwhelmed unless the strictest restrictions are imposed on another 4 million people. .
Burnham accused ministers late Wednesday of pressuring northern regions to accept a “morally wrong” and “fundamentally flawed” system without sufficient financial support for individuals and businesses. He said the imposition of Level 3 lockdown measures “would deliver people to certain difficulties in the run-up to Christmas.”
Local leaders held meetings with England’s deputy chief medical officers Jenny Harries and Jonathan Van-Tam on Wednesday night, which a Whitehall source described as “instilling the science” behind the need for increased restrictions.
They were warned that “things are going badly, they will continue to get worse and they will overwhelm the health service if something doesn’t happen soon,” said a source.
Dame Louise Casey, a former government advisor on poverty and homelessness, warned that the UK could become a country where families “cannot fit” children and said current levels of financial support are not enough.
The government will pay two-thirds of wages as of November 1 for workers in companies that are forced to close under level 3 restrictions, compared to 80% in the previous leave scheme, with the government contribution with a capped at £ 697.92 per month.
Casey said that “is not going to be good enough” to prevent families from becoming destitute. “It’s like telling people, ‘You can only pay two-thirds of your rent, you can only pay two-thirds of the food you need to put on the table,’ he told the BBC.
“There is a feeling in Downing Street and Westminster that people will get by. Well, they weren’t managing before Covid. “
Casey, whose advice is much appreciated in Whitehall, said: “Are we really asking people in places like Liverpool to go out and prostitute themselves so we can put food on the table?
“I am not a dramatic person. I have been in Whitehall for over 20 years, I have worked in the voluntary sector. And this is unprecedented. I remember the Thatcher era until now and I have never worked in a situation where I am so worried about what is going to happen. “
