Gyms and all non-essential shops across England are expected to be allowed to reopen once lockdown ends in the lead-up to Christmas.
It is part of the UK government’s COVID Winter Plan – a new blueprint to fight the pandemic which looks to not only save lives during the winter, but also prevent a Commons revolt by rebel Tory MPs – which Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to announce to MPs in the House of Commons this afternoon.
Mr Johnson will explain the detail of England’s return to the “three tier system” when lockdown ends on 2nd December.
As announced over the weekend, a break for Christmas is to be allowed, but Mr Johnson is not expected to confirm how many households will be able to bubble together at Christmas, or how long the break in restrictions will last.
That announcement is currently planned for tomorrow.
ADVERTISEMENT
Government ministers are however reportedly believed to be working on plans for three households and a five-day break – from Christmas Eve to 28th December – subject to agreement from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News this morning that a final decision “hasn’t been made”.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the government will “confirm it when we have that agreement across the four nations”, and added: “We’ve agreed in principle that there should be a set of rules that applies across the board that is balanced, that allows a little bit more freedom, but is still safe.”
PicPik
But despite the differences in the new three tier restrictions due replace England’s national lockdown, the Prime Minister is today expected to announce:
Non-essential retail will be allowed to open, in a boost for Christmas shoppers – and the high street.
Gyms will be allowed to open too in the run-up to Christmas.
The 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants – which critics claim did more harm than good – is to be altered.
And a mass testing programme is to be launched in Tier 3 areas, using the Army, like the recent pilot programme in Liverpool.
A scrapping of the self-isolation period for COVID contacts is also expected.
ADVERTISEMENT
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is today expected to say: “The selflessness of people in following the rules is making a difference [and] the virus is not spreading nearly as quickly as it would if we were not washing our hands, maintaining social distance, wearing masks and so on, and in England, where nationwide measures came into effect at the start of this month, the increase in new cases is flattening off,
“But we are not out of the woods yet.
“The virus is still present in communities across the country, and remains both far more infectious and far more deadly than seasonal flu, but with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there.”
___
For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
#HandsFaceSpace
News
Police are searching for a missing bride-to-be, with CCTV from the day she vanished released
Daisy Jackson
Police have ramped up their appeal to find missing bride-to-be Eren Wright, releasing CCTV of her on the day she vanished.
Eren has been missing since 27 October, when she left her home address in Lytham St Annes.
Since then, her desperate fiancé has shared that her phone was last detected in Birkdale Southport at around 5.30pm that same day, and her bank accounts are empty.
He said last week in a post on Facebook: “Myself and the pets are freaking out not knowing where she is and if she is ok, she has been missing for nearly 12 hours.”
Eren was last seen just after 10am leaving her home on St David’s Road South.
She is described as white, 5’7″, slim, and with blonde hair. She also has tattoos of vines and a tree on her hand and arms.
Police have ramped up their appeal to find missing bride-to-be Eren Wright. Credit: Fylde Police
Eren was last seen wearing a light olive green hoodie with a painting on the front, beige/cream wide leg pants, and worn white trainers.
Police have now shared the new CCTV image of Eren in the hopes that someone might know where she is, or have seen her.
Fylde Police also said they were ‘worried’ about her.
If you see Eren or know where she might be, call 999 quoting log 1309 of October 27th.
Leigh drug dealer jailed after being ‘caught red-handed’ by police
Emily Sergeant
A drug dealer known around the Leigh area has been jailed last week after police caught him ‘red-handed’.
Dawid Bialek, of no fixed abode, has been jailed after pleading guilty to four counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine), and handling stolen goods.
It comes after, on Monday 11 May 2026, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who were patrolling on a canal towpath, near Quayside in Leigh, spotted 30-year-old Bialek attempting to discard a package in the water.
The package was subsequently recovered, and according to GMP, was found to contain multiple wraps of suspected Class A drugs.
Further enquiries then led police to an address in Leigh, where additional evidence linked to drug dealing was recovered – including suspected drugs, scales, empty wraps, and mobile phones.
Bialek was later bailed as police conducted further enquiries, but while that work was continuing, on Friday 19 June, officers carrying out plain-clothes patrols in the town centre saw Bialek in an alley just off the canal tow path, handing out wraps of heroin and crack cocaine to others.
He was once again stopped, searched, and found to be in possession of drugs and cash.
This time he was charged and able to be remanded. He appeared at court over the summer and plead not guilty to the charges brought against him, but as the investigation continued, examination of seized mobile phones uncovered further evidence of drug dealing activity – including messages, videos and notes consistent with the supply of Class A drugs.
Due to the quantity of evidence gathered and submitted to the CPS, Bialek changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court last week.
He has been jailed for a total of four years and nine months.
Following the sentencing, a spokesperson for GMP’s Leigh Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “The supply of Class A drugs causes significant harm within our communities and often exploits vulnerable people who are struggling with addiction.
“This result demonstrates our commitment to targeting those responsible for bringing drugs into Leigh and disrupting the criminality associated with them.”
The Manc -
23rd November 2020 
