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MPs in Greater Manchester and London have been invited to briefings with a government minister this morning, amid reports that both areas could be placed on a higher coronavirus tier.
Health Minister Helen Whateley will make a call with London MPs at 9:30 a.m. M., followed by MPs from Greater Manchester at 10:45 a.m.
Local leaders, including Andy Burnham, will also speak to the government after the Joint Center for Biosafety recommended that Manchester and Lancashire move to Level 3, the highest alert level.
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This would mean that homes can no longer mix indoors and outdoors, with pubs and bars forced to close unless they can function as restaurants.
Government figures stressed last night that no final decisions have been made, but Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby says government sources are clear that the figures in Greater Manchester and Lancashire are “bad” and that some action is needed.
Currently, the Liverpool City Region is the only area that is subject to Level 3 restrictions.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will also address the Commons later today.
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan is reported to have briefed local health officials on the capital’s move to the “high” category of Level 2.
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On Tuesday, Khan told Sky News that additional restrictions in London were “unavoidable” in the coming days, as hospital admissions and infection rates “go in the wrong direction.”
In a letter to the prime minister, he also warned that further measures may be needed this week.
“None of us want more restrictions in London, but given rising infection rates and a lack of testing, we have little choice,” he wrote.
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The reported changes could see millions of people face tighter restrictions in their daily lives.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has expressed his exasperation with the government’s approach in recent days, stating that some decisions affecting the Northwest have been communicated first to the media.
“We are expecting a new meeting with the Prime Minister’s team in the morning,” he tweeted.
William Wragg, Conservative MP from Hazel Grove constituency in Greater Manchester, claimed that he had not yet been invited to the discussion with Mrs Whateley.
“Sadly, I haven’t received any emails … it really says it all,” he wrote.
In other developments, Northern Ireland is poised to enforce the strictest controls seen in the UK, with pubs and restaurants scheduled to close for four weeks, and schools face a two-week closure.
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Starting at 6pm on Friday, people from coronavirus hot spots in the UK will also be barred from entering Wales.
The Police Federation of England and Wales has described the new rule as “unenforceable”, while the UK government said it was “disappointed” by the move.
Johnson remains desperate to avoid any form of national lockdown, despite Labor Party demands for a temporary “circuit breaker” to break the drivetrain and stop the spread of the disease.
