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The government’s plans for the end of the national shutdown will not include domestic mixing until spring, according to today’s reports.
It was confirmed last night that the four-week ‘stay-at-home’ order will be lifted on December 2 and replaced by a reinforced three-tier system.
Boris Johnson is believed to be finalizing details on what comes next with his cabinet today ahead of an announcement on Monday.
But the national Sunday papers are full of reports on what to expect.
According to the Sunday Times, the new three tiers will all be “tougher” than taxes in October.
It will mean that “most people” will not be able to mingle with other homes or friends before the end of March next year.
There will be a brief suspension of the tier system for between three and five days over Christmas, the newspaper reports.
The 10pm curfew in bars, pubs and restaurants is also expected to last until 11pm after extensive criticism and legal action taken by Greater Manchester’s night economy adviser Sacha Lord.
Although the infection rate in England appears to be flattening out, it remains at 251 cases per 100,000 people and 316 more deaths from people who tested positive for coronavirus were confirmed yesterday.
(Image: PA)
In Greater Manchester, the rate is 359, although cases are declining in all ten boroughs.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, more areas will be placed at the highest level of restrictions when they are re-imposed on December 3 after SAGE scientists felt that previous levels were not strong enough.
The document also says that people will be granted ‘freedom passes’ to allow them to live as normal a life as possible as long as they have two negative coronavirus tests a week.
People found to be free of COVID will be given a card, letter or document that can be stored on their phone to show they can move, the newspaper states.
(Image: PA)
Periodic testing would be necessary to ensure they qualify for the certificates.
The prime minister is expected to announce the ‘Covid winter plan’ on Monday with a decision on which areas are at what levels on Thursday.
Greater Manchester was previously in Level 3 of the government restrictions which involved the closure of all places that do not serve a “substantial meal”.
There was a ban on meeting people from outside your home or bubbles in private gardens or in most public outdoor spaces.
People were able to meet friends and family they did not live with, in groups of six or less, in some places such as parks, beaches, pitches, outdoor sports fields, and playgrounds and facilities.
(Image: Vincent Cole / Manchester Evening News)
Mayor Andy Burnham has not promised to say at what level he thinks Greater Manchester should be placed, but says he wants the government to avoid “blanket shutdowns” that have no proof that they will work.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning, Mr Burnham said: “The opinion that we have put to the Government is ‘please don’t make general closures take place’, we think it is much better to look at a targeted approach.
“I would say, ‘open the gyms, open the leisure centers’; They are going to be very important to people, especially when it is more difficult to exercise outdoors.
“The 10pm curfew, I don’t think it worked earlier this year and I am absolutely sure it will not work in the run-up to Christmas. It will be increasingly difficult to implement.
“What we are telling the government is to take into account what everyone has been through and make judgments based on how manageable the situation will be.”
(Image: supplied)
“We need simpler and clearer messages for the public, but also something that will not make their lives very, very difficult to handle, especially as we approach Christmas.
Meanwhile, a group of Manchester’s most powerful business leaders, including former Manchester United star Gary Neville, have formed a new group to pressure the government on coronavirus rules.
UnitedCity will fund the research and campaign to get people back downtown.
Neville said: “Manchester is built on community and entrepreneurship. It is imperative that this crisis does not remove that from our DNA.
“UnitedCity will create a clear path forward for the region and help bring about genuine change for the people and businesses that are based here.
“For this to happen, we need all the support we can from the business community.
“We are looking for business leaders to step up and lead the change in our work habits – to get our teams back to the office and back together.”
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