North lockdown U-turn shambles
Plan to relax the rules for 400,000 is ditched
MINISTERS were last night accused of another chaotic U- turn after abruptly abandoning plans to relax lockdown rules for more than 400,000 people.
Families in the Greater Manchester boroughs of Bolton and trafford were due to be allowed to mix indoors with other households yesterday for the first time since the end of July – despite cross-party pleas by local politicians for the rules to remain after virus cases spiked.
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, yesterday morning slammed the anticipated change as ‘ completely illogical’ and urged residents to act as if nothing had changed. Hours later, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the restrictions would remain in place for Bolton and trafford after all.
the U-turn was branded ‘utterly chaotic’ by labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, while a tory MP for one of the affected towns said the Government’s communication ‘ haven’t been as effective as we would like’.
in Bolton, cases more than trebled from 18.4 per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 22 to 59.1 in the seven days to August 29, with 170 new cases. that made it the second worst infection hotspot in the country after Pendle in lancashire, with 71.7 per 100,000 people. in trafford the rate rose from 19.4 to 35.4, with 84 new cases.
On tuesday, Bolton council’s conservative leader, David Greenhalgh, said that ‘with a heavy heart’ he was asking ministers to keep the borough under the local lockdown.
the same call was made by trafford council’s labour leader Andrew Western.
Mr Burnham told BBc radio 4’s today programme yesterday morning: ‘ these restrictions were always hard to explain to the public but they are completely illogical now.’
He said residents should ‘continue to follow the guidance’. Shortly after midday – when the restrictions were due to be lifted – Mr Hancock said Bolton and trafford would remain locked down.
Mr Burnham branded the confusion ‘total chaos’.
Bolton West and Atherton tory MP chris Green said better Government communica tion was needed. ‘ communications haven’t been as effective as we would like so it has been difficult,’ he told radio 4’s PM programme.
According to the Greater Manchester combined Authority, there were eight coronavirus deaths in the region’s hospitals in the last week of August.
But analysis by the Health Service Journal put the figure at 17 in the seven days to August 26 – which it said represented four in ten of all covid- related fatalities in england over the period.
it means businesses in the boroughs including bowling alleys, soft play centres and casinos still can’t reopen.
Meanwhile public health chiefs in Hertfordshire and newcastle-upon-tyne yesterday warned of tougher restrictions due to failure to heed social distancing.
Hertfordshire council said there had been a ‘ significant’ number of positive cases in the Dacorum borough, particularly in Hemel Hempstead.
newcastle city council warned of the ‘real threat’ of a local lockdown if cases rise after large crowds were pictured outside a cocktail bar in the city.