England’s Chief Medical Officer has insisted that England’s imminent lockdown could end on December 2 as planned.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a nationwide four-week lockdown last weekend – closing businesses, banning travel and forbidding household mixing.
The stricter measures will come into law on Thursday and remain in place until at least December 2 – when the government will conduct a review.
Already there has been wide speculation as to whether it will be possible to lift the measures within four weeks.
But England’s top medical officer Chris Whitty has suggested that the hopes of exiting lockdown on December 2 remain realistic.
Asked if lockdown would end as scheduled, Whitty responded: “The aim of this is to get the rates down far enough that it’s a realistic possibility to move into a different state of play at that point in time.”
As reported by Reuters, Whitty said that England could get the R number below 1 during this period, meaning restrictions could be lifted.
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However, the professor – who has been flanking the Prime Minister throughout the pandemic press conferences – did say that other measures would be needed to get through winter.
As things stand, the government may revert back to their localised tier system – which categorises regions based on their ‘risk’.
The government has suffered criticism for enforcing measures later than other nations, with Northern Ireland and Wales both entering lockdowns in October.
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Back in September, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) encouraged England to partake in a “circuit breaker” – stating that interventions were required to “prevent [an] exponential rise in cases”.
But the recommendation was ultimately ignored even as the infection rate rose, and only when Johnson saw new data projecting alarming hospital rates did he decide to stray from the tiered approach to blanket restrictions.
Labour’s Keir Starmer has blamed the government for its hesitancy, saying the new lockdown would now be “longer and harder” than it needed to be.
Whitty stated during the lockdown press conference that: “If we did not act now, then the chances of the NHS being in extraordinary trouble in December will be very, very high.”
In order to combat rising COVID rates, testing has been ramped up this week – with Liverpool set to become the first city where every resident and worker will be eligible for a free test, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not.
The scheme is part of Operation Moonshot, which aims to give people a ‘freedom pass’ to work and travel whilst the pandemic continues.
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Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
The Manc -
4th November 2020 
