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Lockdown to ease further in England from Saturday – but not in Greater Manchester

Live indoor performances, more beauty treatments at salons and small wedding receptions will be able to resume in England from Saturday.

The Manc The Manc - 13th August 2020
Market Street

Live music and performance venues, more beauty treatments at salons and small wedding receptions will be able to resume in England from Saturday.

Lockdown will ease further across the country as casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and soft play centres are back in business, Boris Johnson has confirmed. However, Greater Manchester must wait.

The Prime Minister has also introduced tough new measures targeting breaches of social distancing restrictions including fines of up to £3,200 for refusing to wear a face covering and illegal rave organisers could face up to £10,000 penalties.

Boris Johnson

Changes to lockdown from Saturday 15 August:

  • Indoor theatre, music and performance venues will be able to reopen with socially distanced audiences
  • Wedding receptions in the form of a sit-down meal for up to 30 guests will be permitted
  • The piloting of a small number of sporting events to test the safe return of spectators will resume, commencing with the final of the World Snooker Championship at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre over the weekend
  • Casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and soft play centres will be allowed to reopen
  • “Close contact” beauty services such as facials, eyebrow threading, eyelash treatments, make up application and microblading will resume
  • Pilots will take place at conference venues ahead of the expected resumption of business events from 1 October at the earliest
Deansgate

Speaking about the new easing of measures, the PM said: “Most people in this country are following the rules and doing their bit to control the virus, but we must remain focused and we cannot be complacent.

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“That is why we are strengthening the enforcement powers available to use against those who repeatedly flout the rules.”

The new guidance will not apply in areas where lockdown measures are in place – such as the areas in Greater Manchester where local lockdown restrictions were recently brought in.

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Parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire were also placed under tightened restrictions this week – including Preston and 18 other areas.

This latest easing of England’s lockdown was due to take place on 1 August, but was postponed after the Office for National Statistics expressed concerns about an increase in the number of positive tests across the country.

According to the BBC, police forces in areas of concern, such as here in Greater Manchester and in Leicester, have had to massively increase patrols – with deployments sometimes being larger than on New Year’s Eve.

Further detail on the new enforcement measures is to be set out in the coming week.

News

One of Manchester’s largest hotels has reopened after an ‘extensive’ £33m renovation

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

One of the largest hotels in Manchester city centre has now reopened its doors to the public following an “extensive” £33 million renovation.

A new chapter is officially underway for Manchester‘s Marriott Hotel in Piccadilly.

Conveniently located next to Manchester Piccadilly train station, and what is a world-class and ever-popular urban neighbourhood in Mayfield, the Piccadilly Marriott hotel is the second Marriott hotel in the city centre, and following its wide-scale refurbishment, the new premises now offers “a contemporary destination for travellers“.

A stunning bistro-style restaurant and bar, a large function room, 11 meeting rooms, a 24/7 ‘MClub’ lounge, a state-of-the-art gym, and an Elemis spa with six treatment rooms and a thermal suite, can all be found inside the new hotel.

Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly has now reopened following a £33m refurbishment / Credit: Supplied

Known as the largest four-star hotel in the city centre, Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly boasts 338 “generous” bedrooms spread across eight floors with “unparalleled comfort” and interior design that gives a nod to the neighbourhood’s industrial and music heritage.

The biggest standard-sized rooms in Manchester, 16 ‘Panoramic Suites’, and a selection of family rooms, are just some of the accommodation options the hotel now offers.

As well as the rooms, Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly is also considered to be one of the best hotels in the city for both corporate and social events, with meeting rooms, function rooms, and more all on site, and now, thanks to the recent renovations, these refurbished spaces all include the latest in digital screen technology, audio-visual equipment, high-speed WiFi, and air conditioning.

The 338-room hotel is now one of the largest in Manchester city centre following the “extensive refurbishment” / Credit: Supplied

The new hotel is also home to Manchester’s only Marriott brand exclusive, MClub Lounge – which is a unique club lounge space designed to be the perfect place to relax, socialise, or meet for business.

The hotel’s stunning new spa is also described as being a “haven of wellness”, as it boasts six treatment rooms in partnership with award-winning British skincare brand, Elemis.

The stunning new premises now offers “a contemporary destination for travellers” / Credit: Supplied

Speaking as the new hotel opens its doors this week, Stephen Rycroft, who is the General Manager of Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly, commented: “We are excited to be part of this launch, bringing the flagship Marriott brand to this grand hotel, as it’s grand in both innovative design and size, making it the largest hotel in Manchester city centre.

“Our team is committed to providing exceptional experiences for both business and leisure guests alike.”

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Prices for rooms at Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly start from just £129 per night, and you can find out more and book online here.

Featured Image – Supplied

News

Eight arrested and £20k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids in Rochdale

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Police have seized £20,000 cash and a large quantity of drugs during early-morning drug raids in Rochdale this week.

Eight people have also been arrested, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.

The significant seizes and arrests come after detectives from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group executed 11 warrants at addresses across Rochdale and Lancashire yesterday morning (17 April), that were believed to be connected to a large-scale drugs conspiracy.

As well as raiding a number of residential properties, several warrants were also executed at premises that police believed to be ‘stash houses’.

A search of all premises raided lead to several mobile phones, quantities of cocaine, and cannabis plants all being seized, as well as an estimated £20,000 in cash.

Eight people have been arrested and £20k cash has been seized during early-morning police raids in Rochdale / Credit: GMP

Following the raids, a total of eight people, who are between the ages of 27 and 56, have all been arrested on conspiracy to supply drugs, it has been confirmed, and they currently remain in police custody for questioning.

These are the latest arrests in what is part of GMP’s ongoing investigations into the criminal use of encrypted mobile phones.

Back in 2020, as a result of the NCA take down of Encrochat – which is the encrypted messaging platform once used by criminals across the globe – GMP was handed hundreds and thousands of messages from the once-secure platform, and it gave detectives “insight into the criminal underworld which had never been seen before”.

Over the last few years, GMP says it has been “systematically” working its way through these messages to attribute them to criminals across Greater Manchester and the North West.

“We have seen great huge successes to date,” GMP has admitted.

Speaking following the early-morning raids in Rochdale and Lancashire yesterday, Detective Sergeant Rich McCorry, from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said in a statement: “The ability for criminals to benefit from the proceeds of drugs is a key driver for organised crime, and we have specialist detectives working tirelessly to eliminate the key players from criminal networks across the region.

“[Yesterday’s] action is a result of months of hard work by detectives, whose proactive investigations into the drugs trade in Manchester has led them through these doors today.

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“We will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Featured Image – GMP

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