Mayor and council leader say restrictions should continue in Greater Manchester
Mayor Andy Burnham and council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday afternoon to provide an update on restrictions in the Greater Manchester area.
Leaders in Greater Manchesterhave said that restrictions imposed in the region should continue.
New data shows the 7-day rolling average for coronavirus cases has experienced a moderate increase in most Greater Manchester boroughs.
Oldham remains in a league of its own at one end of the scale, with an infection rate of 108.8 per 100,000 people – making it the worst-affected town in the UK.
Whilst figures in Oldham remain a ’cause for concern’, other areas of Greater Manchester have seen only a slight rise.
Cases in Salford and Trafford have fallen, whilst Wigan still has a significantly lower infection rate than its nine neighbours.
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Mayor Andy Burnham and council leader Sir Richard Leese hosted a press conference on Thursday (13 August) afternoon to provide the update.
The Government will be making an announcement regarding restrictions tomorrow (14 August).
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Mayor Burnham said: “The main message I’ve got today is that everyone needs to get more serious about doing what we can to bring the situation back to a better level.
“When I say everyone I’m talking about pubs, restaurants, supermarkets; everybody following the regulations as set out.”
Both Mr. Burnham and Mr. Leese have also sent a letter to Matt Hancock, informing the Health Secretary that Greater Manchester does not wish to proceed with the reopening of casinos, ice skating rinks and theatre performances just yet.
The Government was set to consider lifting restrictions on these venues from 15 August, originally delaying their launch by a fortnight due to a spike in cases.
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How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
The Manc -
13th August 2020 
