Pubs in nearby Tier 2 areas are preparing to ban Greater Manchester residents as the region moves into the ‘very high’ risk category today (23 October).
At least eight bars in Glossop have already begun a ‘regulars only’ policy in anticipation of people popping over from Greater Manchester for a pint.
Whilst these venues will not be asking patrons for ID, they will actively discourage people outside the area from visiting.
Glossop is currently in Tier 2 – where pubs and bars can remain open until 10pm.
In Tier 3 areas like Greater Manchester, alcohol can only be served as part of a ‘substantial meal’ – leaving over 1,800 pubs shut until further notice.
The Corner Cupboard pub on Glossop High Street posted on social media urging Greater Manchester residents to avoid the premises whilst the strict rules were intact.
“We have taken the decision to operate as ‘Regulars Only’ venue,” the message reads.
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“We are already operating at 20% of our maximum capacity, so want to ensure that our regular and local customers get priority when visiting our venue.”
It adds: “Please do not try to enter our venue if you have traveled from out of town, the safety of our customers is paramount.”
Neighbouring pub The Surrey Arms also emphasised that access was only available to local residents at this time.
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“This is to discourage large groups descending on Glossop and pushing us into tier 3 restrictions, forcing our businesses to close,” the landlord explained.
⚠️ PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT ⚠️ After the recent news that Greater Manchester is to be placed into tier 3 from 00:01 Friday…
The official government advice is to avoid travelling outside of Greater Manchester whilst the region is classified in Tier 3.
People are permitted to travel to travel into or out of very high alert level areas for work, education, to access youth services, or for caring responsibilities.
Millions of people in the UK find themselves under tougher restrictions once again as cases rise across the country.
Greater Manchester joined Liverpool City Region and Lancashire in Tier 3 on Friday.
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Wales is set to enter a ‘fire break’ lockdown from 6pm which will see all non-essential businesses close for 17 days.
Northern Ireland has also entered a lockdown for four weeks.
The Republic of Ireland, meanwhile, moved to the highest level of COVID restrictions this week – asking residents to work from home and to stay within 5km (3 miles) of their property when exercising.
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
The Manc -
23rd October 2020 
