Coronavirus news: Manchester Tier 3 talks end without deal, as Wales imposes ‘firebreak’ restrictions
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Your support makes all the difference.The government moved closer to imposing Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions on Greater Manchester after the latest round of talks collapsed without a deal.
Local leaders, including mayor Andy Burnham, had initially expressed hope an agreement could be reached on extra funding for the region on Monday, only for ministers to reject the proposals.
And on Monday night communities secretary Robert Jenrick issued a letter setting a deadline of 12pm on Tuesday to settle the dispute.
The government also held talks with several other regions in northern England, including the North East and South Yorkshire, over a move into Tier 3.
Meanwhile Wales announced a two-week “firebreak” lockdown will be imposed from 6pm on Friday to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said the “sharp and deep” new restrictions would last for 17 days and would require everyone except key workers to stay at home.
Ireland also confirmed it would begin a second national lockdown from midnight on Wednesday. The Level 5 restrictions will see schools stay open but non-essential businesses close. People will be told to stay at home for six weeks unless taking exercise within a 5km radius.
Irish premier Micheal Martin said the measures were necessary to curb the rise in cases and hospital admissions, adding: "As Taoiseach I am asking everyone again to take this threat seriously."
Slovenia declares month-long state of emergency
Slovenia’s government has declared a 30-day state of emergency after a surge in coronavirus cases in the past week.
A 9pm to 6am curfew was introduced, starting Monday, and the number of people allowed to gather has been reduced from 10 to six, Interior Minister Ales Hojs told a news conference today.
Keir Starmer: ‘My thoughts are with my friend Yasmin Qureshi’ after hospital admittance
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has offered his best wishes to Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, after she announced she has been admitted to hospital with pneumonia two weeks after testing positive for Covid-19.
Circuit-breaker lockdown explained
The Welsh Government is expected to announce a short “circuit-breaker” lockdown imminently, in a bid to stem a surge of coronavirus cases in Wales.
My colleague Liam James explains what a “circuit-breaker” lockdown means and what it would entail:
Wales imposes new ‘fire-break’ restrictions for 17 days
Wales will enter a new lockdown for 17 days later this week. All but essential retail outlets will be forced to close from Friday, in measures tougher than those in either Scotland or tier 3 areas in England.
Wales imposes new lockdown
All but essential retail will shut from Friday – tougher measures than in Scotland or tier 3 areas of England
Watch: Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford sets out new ‘fire-break’ lockdown rules
Wales: Opposition leader says national lockdown ‘not proportionate’
Paul Davies, the Conservative leader of the opposition in the Senedd, has accused Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford of “failing to be open and transparent about the evidence to justify” the new “fire-break” lockdown announced today.
He said Mr Drakeford “failed to get public support” for the 17-day total lockdown and added that the Welsh Government is “committing Wales to rolling Wales-wide lockdowns”.
“This is not a two-week break to solve the pandemic, it is likely that we will see regular lockdowns across the rest of the year,” said Mr Davies.
“The Welsh Government must be clear what actions they are taking during the lockdown to prevent further Wales-wide lockdowns which will have a significant impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
“However, the main concern is that this national lockdown is not proportionate,” he said, adding that areas including Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion have the lowest rate of coronavirus cases in Wales.
The impact of a strict lockdown on businesses in these areas will be “severe”.
“The First Minister needs to urgently come to the Welsh Parliament and answer these questions, to face effective scrutiny by elected representatives and not run his government by media.”
What are other European nations doing to deal with the second wave of coronavirus?
With the number of coronavirus infections increasing throughout Europe, countries on the continent are taking action to try and mitigate a second wave of the virus.
Slovenia is the latest European nation to introduce a nationwide overnight curfew, and has declared a 30-day state of emergency. The curfew there starts Tuesday and will run daily from 9pm to 6am.
Other nations that have introduced night-time curfews include Belgium, which has ordered bars and restaurants to shut down for a month, and Slovakia, who aims to test every person aged 10 and older for the virus.
In Serbia, the army has reopened a makeshift hospital inside the main sports arena in the capital, Belgrade, to respond to the increasing number of Covid-19 patients.
The Polish government is also transforming the National Stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital, which will have room for 500 patients and be equipped with oxygen therapy.
Meanwhile, Austria has announced it will limit private gatherings to six people indoors and 12 outdoors from Friday.
Most British adults clueless about restrictions - poll
The majority of the British public are clueless when it comes to the different rules and regulations that apply across the UK to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, a survey suggests.
66 per cent of people from a poll of 2,000 adults struggled to understand the constantly-changing restrictions and guidelines. Many were confused about the length of time people are required to self-isolate if they have Covid-19 symptoms, and about the new tiered alert system introduced last week.
My colleague Adrien Hearn reports:
Most British adults clueless about coronavirus restrictions, poll finds
Roughly one in five did not know which tier their region was in
The ultimate guide to the latest UK coronavirus restrictions
If you’re one of those who are confused about the rules - and there are a lot of us - we’re here to help.
My colleague Sarah Young has the rundown on everything you need to know, from tiers to testing.
Your ultimate guide to the latest UK coronavirus rules, from lockdown tiers to face masks
Further measures to stop the spread of coronavirus have come into effect, so where are we now? Here is everything you need to know
Covid-19 rates falling in big English cities but rising in towns, figures show
The rate of coronavirus infections is falling in some of England’s largest cities, but the sharpest increases are now happening in towns and more suburban areas, latest figures suggest.
Cities including Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle saw the weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases rising rapidly at the end of September - coinciding with the start of the university term - but levels are now coming down.
The rates have been decreasing for several days, suggesting they are on a downward trend rather than a temporary dip.
In Manchester, the current weekly rate of cases opened at 583.6 in the week to 3 October. It now stands at 432.5. Sheffield’s rate has dropped from 500.3 to 396.7 and Newcastle stands at 371.5, down from 553.8.
Nottingham had the highest rolling weekly rate for any local authority area in England as cases peaked at 1,001.2 per 100,000 people in the seven days to 8 October. But since then, the number has been falling and currently stands at 787.6.
By contrast, the places in England recording the biggest growth in case rates are a mixture of towns and suburbs. Areas with the largest week-on-week increase include Gedling, northeast of Nottingham (up from 216.3 to 385.9); Blackburn in Darwen (up from 357.4 to 482.3); Barnsley (up from 225.2 to 348.8); and Blackpool (up from 220.9 to 326.3).
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