Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today insisted that there is “no alternative” to a second national lockdown, but that it will be time-limited to end on 2nd December.
It comes after he confirmed a new four-week lockdown across England in an attempt to try to curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in a televised press conference live to the nation last Saturday evening. The restrictions – which will be voted on in Parliament on Wednesday – are expected to come into force at 00:01 GMT on Thursday 5th November.
He further detailed his plans in an address to MPs in the House of Commons this afternoon.
Mr Johnson defended the regional three tier system introduced in October following a growing number of senior Conservative backbenchers signalling their opposition to the measures due to come into effect on Thursday, and Labour stating that his failure to act sooner will have cost lives and caused further damage to the economy.
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Setting out why the lockdown is now needed, Mr Johnson said to MPs: “At the end of four weeks, on Wednesday 2nd December, we will seek to ease restrictions, going back into the tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.”
"I believe it was right to try every possible option to get this virus under control at a local level… I reject any suggestion we are somehow slower in taking measures than our European friends"
He continued: “Models of our scientists suggest that unless we act now, we could see deaths over the winter that are twice as bad or more compared with the first wave.”
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“Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative but to take further action at a national level.”
In response to challenges over why the government opted to implement a regional measures approach, rather than the national “circuit breaker” method recommended by scientific advisers last month, Mr Johnson argued: “I know some in the House believe we should have reached this decision earlier,
“But I believe it was right to try every possible option to get this virus under control at a local level, with strong local action and strong local leadership,”
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Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the central lesson from the first wave of virus is “if you don’t act early, the cost will be far worse, more businesses will be forced to close and tragically, more people will lose their lives” and taking aim at the government said the Prime Minister and chancellor “failed to learn this lesson and as a result, this lockdown will be longer than it needed to be”.
“At every stage the prime minister has been too slow, behind the curve”
He said at every stage the Prime Minister has “pushed away challenge” and put what “he hoped would happen ahead of what is happening”, and when on to urge Mr Johnson to explain to the British people “why he failed to act and why he failed to listen for so long”.
Responding to Sir Keir Starmer, Boris Johnson says he “makes absolutely no apology” for trying to avoid going back into a national lockdown.
What are the new restrictions in England?
People will be told to stay at home except for specific reasons
These include – work which cannot be done from home, childcare or education, exercise outdoors, medical reasons, essential shopping, providing care for vulnerable people or for volunteering, and visiting members of your support bubble.
Meeting indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place. Children under school age and those dependent on round-the-clock care who are with their parents do not count towards the two-person limit.
Non-essential retail will close, but can remain open for click-and-collect delivery.
Pubs, bars, restaurants will have to close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery, excluding takeaway of alcohol.
Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities – such as gyms and swimming pools – will also close, along with entertainment venues and personal care facilities such as beauty salons.
Places of worship will close, unless they are being used for funerals, to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks.
Construction sites and manufacturing workplaces can remain open.
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be able to take place except in exceptional circumstances, and funerals will be limited to a maximum of 30 people.
Children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated.
Clinically vulnerable people will be asked to be “especially careful”, but people will not be asked to resume shielding.
Overnight stays, staying in a second home, and holidays will not be allowed – including in the UK and abroad – although there are exceptions, such as work trips.
People will be told to avoid all non-essential travel by private or public transport.
Further information regarding which businesses are permitted to remain open can be found here.
We will get through this – but we must act now to contain the spread of coronavirus.
It is my sincere hope and belief that by taking tough action now, we can allow families across the country to be together. pic.twitter.com/81yGUSYcB7
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.
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.
“Safety will always be our number one priority and I’d like to say thank you in advance for the patience of road users during this period of works.”
Find out more information on this weekend’s Mancunian Way closures here.
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95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’, new study reveals
Emily Sergeant
An eye-opening new study has found that only 5% of Mancs still use cash as their preferred method of payment nowadays.
It comes as no surprise that cash is less of a ‘king’ nowadays than it used to be, but now a new report by global financial technology company SumUp has suggests that only 5% of people in Manchester prefer to pay with cash, while 59% choose debit and credit cards, so that leaves one question… is Manchester on its way to becoming a cashless city?
To discover how payment preferences are evolving, SumUp conducted a nationwide survey to gather insights from UK consumers about their payment habits.
The company was particularly intrigued to not only discover payment methods people prefer, but what their concerns around certain payment methods, alongside how they feel about businesses that don’t accept digital payments.
95% of Mancs apparently want the city to be ‘cashless’ / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash) | Pexels
Firstly, before we go any further, it’s important to note that almost two thirds (63%) of Manchester residents said they have changed the way they make payments over the past year.
Unsurprisingly, debit and credit cards remain the top choice for the majority of Mancs, with over half (59%) saying it was their preferred method of payment, followed by mobile payment methods such as Apple Pay and Google Pay at 24% – which is likely thanks to their ease of use and the ability to have multiple cards on one device.
While a third (31%) of Mancs said that they ‘don’t mind’ cash and still opt to carry it for situations where digital payments aren’t an option, a growing number of people in the city are feel that digital payments are more favourable, with 25% thinking that businesses should adapt to modern payment methods and whilst 28% finding it ‘inconvenient’ when a business doesn’t accept digital payments.
A further 11% of people even say that cash-only businesses wouldn’t be an option they’d consider, and would actually avoid them wherever possible.
Only 5% use cash as their preferred method of payment / Credit: Rawpixel
When it comes to concerns around digital payment methods, where do Mancs stand then? Well, the survey found that a third (33%) of people are worried about their reliance on technology, especially being unable to pay if their phone dies, for example, while an additional 32% of people are concerned about security risks such as hacking, fraud, or stolen card details.
Among other things, 26% of survey respondents also said they worry about the privacy aspect of digital banking and the tracking your data.
“While debit and credit cards continue to dominate as the preferred payment method, it’s clear that cash is slowly declining in use, particularly among younger generations,” Corin Camenisch, who is the Marketing & Growth Lead at SumUp, commented on the report.
“Looking ahead, we can anticipate a rise in innovative payment methods like digital wallets, especially as younger consumers increasingly embrace the convenience and flexibility they offer.”
The Manc -
2nd November 2020 
