A three-tiered system to determine region-specific COVID-19 restrictions was announced by U.K. lawmakers on October 12th. Greater Manchester was initially placed at tier 2 but has been raised to tier 3. Meanwhile, aid negotiations fallen apart between the mayor and prime minister.
The Guardian reports that case counts in Manchester proper have exceeded 400 per 100,000 inhabitants. Rochdale is at 462, with Liverpool and Knowsley at 568 and 645, respectively. Under the tier 3 coronavirus guidance, all bars and nightclubs will be forced to close and household mixing is forbidden.
In a press conference, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that negotiations with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham over the last ten days broke down as the two couldn’t agree on an amount for business owner relief. Burnham reportedly sought £90 million, and wouldn’t agree to £60 million after lowering his ask to £65 million. It is unclear whether Johnson’s offer stands.
What also remains to be seen is whether Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Advisor Sacha Lord will follow through on his promise to challenge the COVID-19 restrictions in court. Last week, it came to light that he had enlisted legal counsel to fight the guidance on the grounds that there was “no tangible scientific evidence to merit a full closure of hospitality and entertainment sectors.”
“The announcement today of Greater Manchester going into Tier 3, deepens the crisis for the region’s businesses, with growing concerns over the survival of the Hospitality and Night Time Economy sector,” said Night Time Industries Association CEO Michael Kill in a statement.
“We support Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester and the leaders of the major cities across the country in a call for further support from Government and a collaborative effort to save businesses and jobs within the sector,” Kill went on. “Businesses and workers remain desperate and frustrated, it is clear that without a robust sector-specific financial package of support under Tiers 2 and 3, we will see the sector collapse and the loss of over 754,000 jobs.”
Greater Manchester’s bar and nightclub ban will go into effect on Thursday, October 22nd.
