UK imposes tougher virus measures on Manchester after talks stall

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UK imposes tougher virus measures on Manchester after talks stall

By Andy Bruce and William James

 

Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester, holds a news conference, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Manchester, Britain, October 20, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday he would impose tougher lockdown restrictions on the Greater Manchester region in northern England despite failing to reach a deal on funding support with local leaders.

 

Britain - the worst-hit European nation during the COVID-19 pandemic with nearly 44,000 related deaths - is now seeing a second wave of the virus, recording 21,331 new cases and 241 deaths on Tuesday.

 

Johnson is resisting pressure for a second national lockdown, fearful of the disastrous economic effects, and instead pursuing a localised strategy of imposing three tiers of increasingly stringent restrictions in virus hotspots in England.

 

The plan has been resisted by leaders in the north, where the worst of the latest outbreaks are concentrated, who say the government isn't providing them with enough financial support to cope with the tightest restrictions.

 

Johnson unilaterally imposed top tier restrictions - which include the forced closure of pubs which do not serve food and an advisory not to travel in or out of the region - after talks with local leaders about a voluntary move into the tier failed.

 

"This evening, informed by the data we have just seen, I can announce that Greater Manchester will move to the Very High alert level," Johnson told a news conference.

 

He said the restrictions would start on Friday and that he regretted the failure of the talks: "we would have a better chance of defeating the virus if we work together."

 

Earlier, Manchester's Labour mayor Andy Burnham told a news conference that the government had failed to meet the minimum amount needed by the region to protect its poorest, and that it was ministers who had walked away from talks.

 

"At no point today, were we offered enough to protect the poorest people in our communities through the punishing reality of the winter to come," Burnham said.

 

(Reporting by Michael Holden, writing by Elizabeth Piper and William James; editing by Stephen Addison and Andy Bruce)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-10-21

 

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[Scot123]

Was a big supporter of BoJo and even voted Tory at the last election for the first time in my life but now he has turned into a right little Hitler/dictator and lied continually. Follow the science then ignoring the science as soon as it stops following his agenda which baffles me as to destroy ones country for some personal gain which must be money as this has finished him as PM and will devastate the Tories at the next election. Now adding flu figures to Covid to boost them is disgusting. 

[from the home of CC]

too many egos in the way for progress here, meanwhile the virus is winning..

[dunroaming]

40 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

too many egos in the way for progress here, meanwhile the virus is winning..

I agree.  This has just turned into brinkmanship with neither side willing to lose face.

[Lokie]

also a North South thing going on...

 

A guy in a TV phone in ysterday (Jeremy Vine Show Ch5) hit the Nail on the head;

Where would you feel safer (re Covid) sat outside a pub in Manchester at 10pm Or sat on a London Underground subway train commuting into London at 8am??? They aint shutting London down are they?

 

Of course with the amount of Universities in the Greater Manchester area, on paper this helped raise the figures when the new term started, most of these kids are on Campus/halls of resedence and do not mix with older generations Greater M/C asked for a £90m package to fund lockdown this time around to ensure people do not go under and can pay bills etc Govts Imposed lvl 3 Tier Lockdown and give £22m (they said door is open for local leaders to come with their Caps in hand for more) South Yorkshire is being lined up today for same treatment... Meanwhile back in London this morning all subway and commuter trains were running as normal, same levels of risk involved yet the South is open for bussiness... Go figure?

Edited October 21, 2020 by Lokie

[from the home of CC]

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

I agree.  This has just turned into brinkmanship with neither side willing to lose face.

 more worried about losing face than lives, despicable...