Boris Johnson imposes lockdown on Manchester

Photo used for illustration purposes only
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LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in a Tuesday press conference that he would unilaterally move Greater Manchester into the highest level of novel coronavirus restrictions after failing to reach an agreement with local officials, Anadolu Agency reported.

Greater Manchester will move into Tier 3 restrictions, banning indoor household gatherings and closing pubs and bars unless they serve substantial meals.

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The fresh measures will also strictly advise against travelling into and out of the region when they come into force at one minute past midnight on Friday.

They will be accompanied by an economic support package of £22 million (US$28 million) for Greater Manchester, infuriating local leaders, including the Mayor Andy Burnham, as well as members of parliament and other elected officials, who view this sum as insufficient.

Johnson said he had made a “generous” offer to Greater Manchester, proportionate to that offered to Merseyside — a region that includes Liverpool — and Lancashire, which are already in Tier 3, but that local leaders refused it.

According to earlier reports, local leaders in Greater Manchester had originally asked for £90 million in economic aid, later reduced to £65 million, but the government offered only £60 million.

Johnson refused to clarify if the £60 million his government reportedly offered Greater Manchester was still on the table.

Speaking at his own press conference before Johnson’s, Mayor Burnham accused the government of “walking away” from the 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.

Both “£22m” and “KingOfTheNorth” were trending on Twitter after the announcement.

Meanwhile, government data published on Tuesday showed that 21,331 people tested positive for coronavirus across the UK over the past 24 hours — the highest daily total since the pandemic began. This brings the total number of cases to 762,542.

The data also showed that a further 241 people died, the highest daily numbers of deaths since June 5, bringing the total to 43,967.

— BERNAMA

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