The latest data showing coronavirus (COVID-19) infection rates has been released and it’s revealed a rise in cases across nearly every Greater Manchester borough.
Figures from the last week, which were released by the government on Thursday afternoon, show that the infection rate in Oldham has risen the most sharply in the region, but rates are seen to be going up week-on-week in seven of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs.
The city of Manchester, Tameside, Salford, Trafford, Bolton and Stockport have also seen significant increases.
Oldham’s infection rate has now reached 67.9 per 100,000 people, after there were 161 positive cases in the week up until this Monday 3rd August, and which is said to be the biggest weekly total since 8th May. There has been more than 100 positive cases for COVID-19 in Oldham in the few days since the new measures were imposed across Greater Manchester and this figure is due to rise once late test results are added in the coming days.
In the city of Manchester, 183 cases were recorded in the week up to 3rd August, and whilst this is 28 cases more than the previous week, the rate has still fallen slightly since local lockdown measures came into effect.
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Infection rates in Tameside (26.5 – 67 new cases) and Salford (27.4 – 71 new cases) have also risen sharply over the last week and both now have a higher rate than Trafford (26.5), where the number of cases has fallen by 36 in the last week since the previous, with a recorded total of 63 new cases.
Wikimedia Commons
Stockport (25.6 – 75 new cases) and Bolton (24.4 – 70 new cases) have also seen infection rates increase in the last week.
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Dr Helen Lowey, Director of Public Health at Bolton Council, stated that she was “disappointed” to see figures rising in the borough, but that this increase was expected. She said: “We have increased the amount of testing that is taking place, so we would expect the number of cases to rise, [but] we continue to monitor the situation and to work with our residents and businesses.”
“Coronavirus has not gone away and we are still in the middle of a global pandemic [so] we must continue to stick to the new rules introduced for Bolton and other parts of the north of England.”
“We continue to monitor the local picture closely along with our partners in health and social care and Public Health England.”
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In Bury, infection rates are growing, but remain low overall, whilst in Wigan, there has been no noticeable rise over the last week making it the borough with the lowest rates of any area in Greater Manchester.
The latest figures show Oldham remains at alert level ‘red’, Manchester, Rochdale, Tameside, Salford, Trafford and Stockport are rated ‘amber’, and Bolton, Bury and Wigan are rated ‘green’.
⚠️ Local restrictions in Manchester ⚠️
Cases of coronavirus are going up in Manchester. You MUST follow Government issued guidance to protect yourself and others.
— Manchester City Council #StaySafe❤ (@ManCityCouncil) July 31, 2020
This latest data comes the week after Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the announcement on the evening of Thursday 30th July that people in certain areas of Northern England – crucially including all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester – would no long be permitted to congregate privately with others outside their household or support bubble due to a rise in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases across these regions.
Legislation to legally enforce these new restrictions was published by the government five days after the announcement and came into force on Wednesday 5th August.
You can check the latest infection rates across Greater Manchester in full here.
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To check the latest COVID-related death toll figures and information for your area, you can input your postcode via the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website here.
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For further information and guidance amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, do refer to official sources via gov.uk/coronavirus.
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News
Man charged after stealing Christmas dinner ingredients in burglary spree
Daisy Jackson
A man has been charged for a series of burglaries in Wigan – one of which saw him nick the ingredients for a Christmas dinner.
Gary Marsh of Heath Street in Golborne had reportedly taken a number of festive food items from a freezer at an address.
In the burglary on 7 December, the 38-year-old took items including a frozen turkey, two packs of pigs in blankets and a handful of Christmas appetisers.
Mr Walsh also made off with a pack of prawns, spring rolls and chicken satay skewers.
Police have said he has been charged for stealing ‘a Christmas dinner worth of goods’.
He’s been charged with six counts of burglary and one vehicle interference and will appear at Manchester Magistrates Court today.
Man charged after stealing Christmas dinner ingredients in burglary spree. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
GMP said in a statement today: “One frozen turkey, two packs of pigs in blankets and a handful of Christmas appetisers.
“Gary Marsh 16/05/1986 of Heath Street, Golborne, in Wigan, was charged on Wednesday 18 December with six counts of burglary and one vehicle interference.
“On 7 December 2024, the following items were reportedly taken from the freezer in the basement of an address: a frozen turkey, two packs of pigs in blankets, a pack of prawns, spring rolls and chicken satay skewers.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his stake in Manchester United
Danny Jones
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his investment in Manchester United Football Club, taking his current stake from 27.7% to 28.94%.
The Failsworth-born billionaire officially became a minority shareholder in Man United earlier this year, bringing in the Sports arm of his INEOS petrochemical company and plenty of new personnel with him following an initial £1.25 billion acquisition which saw him buy over a quarter of the club.
While his tenure at Old Trafford has been a somewhat turbulent affair so far – having pleased most fans by taking at least some control away from the family but making a number of less-than-popular decisions of late – he is, at the very least, putting lots of money where his mouth is.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has injected a further $100m into Manchester United and now owns 28.94% of the club. This completes a planned $300m investment pledged at the time of purchase. $200m was paid back then out of Ratcliffe’s personal funds.
As per multiple outlets, the 72-year-old has pumped a further of approximately £79.3m into Man United to increase his overall stake just before the end of the year.
This latest figure payment was actually promised as part of his initial partial takeover which was completed back in February, with a filing listed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirming the final payment this week, with Ratcliffe receiving additional shares in return.
It also detailed that the ownership of the shares has transferred from Ratcliffe personally to the INEOS Group as a whole, who also have stakes in French football club OGC Nice, the INEOS Grenaiders cycling team (formerly Team Sky), as well as Formula 1, sailing, rugby and more.
Although supporters will be pleased to hear that Ratcliffe is committed to investing in the club, Keegan’s article details that the money itself won’t be strictly put towards any potential signings in the upcoming transfer window.
Similarly, Press Associates (PA) understand that the funds will be put towards infrastructure rather than player recruitment, as it is also expected that some squad members could be offloaded this January.
Could Man United’s homegrown number 10 really be on his way out after nearly two decades in red?
News of Ratcliffe increasing his United stake won’t do much for many of his early detractors, however, as the Greater Manchester local has been accused of ‘forgetting his roots’ and ‘betraying the working class’ with some recent internal steps.
Most recently, Sir Jim and his newly rebuilt executive board received immense backlash for increasing ticket prices for remaining games this season to a whopping £66 across the board, with no concessions made for young, old or disabled fans.
With sporting director Dan Ashworth having been dismissed after just five months – a man who spent just as much time on gardening leave at his former club as he did in his actual role at United – it’s fair to say Ratcliffe and co. could have been more economical.
The Manc -
7th August 2020 
