CONFUSION, UPSET AND TOTAL CHAOS
‘Went to bed OK, woke up breaking law’ Public left bewildered by sudden shift ‘Shambles’ but leaders back decision Fury at late-evening Tweet plunging region into turmoil:
GREATER Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has accused the government of causing ‘confusion and distress’ over the way it announced the change in local lockdown measures.
Tightened restrictions announced on Thursday night to curb rising rates of coronavirus have banned members of different households from meeting indoors, unless they are in a support bubble together.
The rule applies to private homes and gardens, as well as inside restaurants, pubs and bars.
But Mr Burnham criticised the way the announcement, saying it did not provide enough detail for residents.
He said: “The leaders of our 10 councils have raised concerns about the way in which the measures that were coming into effect were communicated to the public and this is something I share.”
He added: “We would strongly recommend to the government that at the time a public or media statement is made affecting any area across the country, it must then follow that detailed information is immediately available at the same time as they making of that statement in a public arena.
“And we feel that would have led to a much better handling of this situation in this case.
“That didn’t happen here and I think that has caused some uncertainty and confusion and distress for some of our residents and we would ask the government to take that on board when further statements relating to local areas are being made.
“However, we do recognise that the government needed to act swiftly and I’ve said we supported the need for decisive action but I think there are things that can be done to improve the way these decisions are communicated.”
The mayor emphasised that he agreed the local measures were necessary.
He said: “We have been regularly monitoring the rate of infection across Greater Manchester. This week, things changed significantly with an increase in those testing positive for Covid-19 in nine out of the ten boroughs. “We agree with the government that this provides a clear evidential basis for modest restrictions to be introduced to get the rate of infection down and down faster.”
Labour shadow foreign secretary and Wigan MP Lisa Nandy agreed with Mr Burnham, saying the announcement was ‘chaotic.’
She said: “Nobody is arguing that the government shouldn’t move quickly where evidence exists that there has been a spike in Covid cases, and we have certainly seen that in Greater Manchester.
“So, it’s absolutely right that they do this. But I cannot describe to you the level of chaos that there was last night with this announcement.
“Because the government was essentially asking people to comply with new rules in just a few hours time without any detail about what those rules were going to be.”
Tory MP for Hazel Grove William Wragg broke ranks to criticise the government. He called for a more localised approach in Greater Manchester,
citing areas of relatively low Covid-19 rates.
“All I would ask for is a stronger focus on local data, so it doesn’t have to be a blanket across the board in areas where there may not be as great a risk as in others,” he said.
“I think we have to take as localised an approach as possible. You can look at the stats and see the difference. Yes, there’s clearly been an uptick and that needs addressing, but it’s right to have a balanced approach.
“I know the Stockport figures have increased, but they are not on the same scale as Oldham and some other boroughs.
“I might sound parochial about this, but I really think a stronger focus on local data is the right approach going forward – particularly where I am, my constituency borders two counties – Derbyshire and Cheshire.
“I want people to be sensible, to heed the guidance and if we all put our shoulder to the wheel again we will get through this as quickly as possible.”
The leader of Manchester council, Sir Richard Leese – the region’s health chief – said Manchester ‘must not be complacent about the continuing risk of Covid-19.’
He said: “It’s important that we take these preventative health protection measures – which, however inconvenient are still relatively moderate – now to avoid the need for more severe measures and a Leicester-style lockdown.
“These restrictions will be reviewed weekly and it’s impossible to stress that the more people abide by these rules, the quicker they will be lifted. While there is still a need for further discussion with government about the detail, it’s important that we all pull in the same direction to avoid a resurgence of coronavirus in our area.”