‘Bring back travel ban in North’

THE ban on travelling to exercise should be reimposed because there is a real risk of coronavirus accelerating again in the North West, Andy Burnham said yesterday.

The Greater Manchester mayor said last month’s decision to allow people to travel for exercise had been a ‘major mistake’, which had led to them flocking to beauty spots and beaches.

At a joint press conference with Liverpool mayor Steve Rotheram, Mr Burnham suggested the restriction should be ‘brought back’.

They raised concerns following a Public Health England analysis on Friday that suggested the virus’s transmission rate – or R number – had crept above one in North-West England, meaning the epidemic is picking up again. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the overall view of Government experts was that the R-rate remained below one in all parts of the country, including the North West.

And he added that ‘local lockdowns’ could be used to stamp out any flare-ups. Ministers had the legal authority to shut down whole cities, but the aim is to close off much smaller areas if a new outbreak is found at a specific location, such as an office, school, hospital or care home.

However, the two mayors said they had ‘serious concerns’ about how local lockdowns could be enforced. They called for the North West to have the right to opt out of the further easing of restrictions until it was clear that the virus was under control in the region.