Councillors and government officials have issued last-call warnings to residents of Oldham that the borough may be facing full lockdown restrictions “within days” after a spike in cases.
Residents in Oldham are being urged to “work with” the council and “follow the guidance” to help prevent the borough from having to enter into a Leicester-style local lockdown.
These warnings come after confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have almost doubled in Oldham over the past week.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Oldham Council, the latest figures – released yesterday for the week ending August 8 – show that there have been 255 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Oldham, which is a rate of 107.5 cases per 100,000 people.
The week prior to this there were 137 cases, which is a rate of 57.8 per 100,000.
A statement to residents on the Oldham Council website reads: “To help halt the spread of coronavirus, save lives and prevent a local lockdown, we need all Oldham residents and businesses to follow our new guidance.”
“You need to act now.”
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“If everyone makes these small changes we can avoid a second lockdown, but there is no time to lose. The best way to stop the spread of the virus is to limit those who you have contact with – spend time with those in your household and work from home where possible, but do not have visitors to your home or garden.”
“If you must meet people from outside your household, do so in an outdoor location, maintain social distancing and avoid physical contact [and] when visiting shops, on public transport or in other enclosed or crowded spaces, you should wear a mask.”
This latest data comes 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.
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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.
Katrina Stephens – Director of Public Health for Oldham Council – said officials were discussing with central government the possibility of closing bars, restaurants and gyms in the borough following a “sudden increase” in the infection rate.
She said: “This isn’t just about Oldham making a decision on its own, this is a conversation between us, colleagues in Greater Manchester but importantly with national government as well because a lot of the measures that a full lockdown would relate to need to be instigated by national government.”
“It’s a two way conversation and because we’re acting on this early we’re in a position to have that.”
“A local lockdown still isn’t inevitable, actually if people can work with us and follow that guidance then there is still that opportunity to turn round the tide of rising infections.”
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Councillor Arooj Shah – Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for COVID-19 recovery – added: “We know people in Oldham have, on the whole, been behaving responsibly and abiding by the coronavirus restrictions, but coronavirus has not gone away and rates are now rising.”
“To avoid a second lockdown, there is no time to lose.”
“We need everyone to act now and make changes to the way they live, to prevent strict lockdown restrictions being implemented in the coming days or weeks. Figures are showing us that cases are rising here in Oldham in all areas, in all age groups, and in all communities.”
“We are all at risk of this terrible virus and it is our responsibility to protect ourselves, our friends and wider society by obeying this tougher guidance and acting responsibly.”
You can find more information about the local restrictions via the Oldham Council website here, and the latest infection rates across Greater Manchester can be found in full 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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Police appeal after man seriously injured in Northern Quarter stabbing
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses after a stabbing in the Northern Quarter left a man seriously injured.
The incident occurred around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, on Tib Street near Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene and the victim, a man in his 20s, taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Thankfully his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
No arrests have yet been made and officers are now appealing for witnesses to assist with enquiries.
DI Geoffrey Machent, of the City of Manchester Division, said: “At around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, we were called to reports of a stabbing on Tib Street.
“A man was subsequently taken to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening or life-changing. He remains there for treatment.
“At this time, we do not believe the incident presents any threat to the wider public or local businesses operating in the area.
“Neighbourhood officers will be deployed to provide reassurance in the locality over the coming days, including our newly formed Piccadilly Gardens team.
“We would like to appeal to the public for any information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, to please come forward.”
If anyone has information regarding this stabbing in the Northern Quarter, contact police by calling 101, or via the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk.
Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
Met Office explain ‘likely’ reason for ‘strange spiral’ seen in the sky over Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Anyone spot that strange out-of-this-world-looking spiral in the sky last night? Lots of us did here in Greater Manchester and, as it turns out, so did lots of people up and down the country.
In fact, it was sighted all over the world.
If you’re anything like us and guilty of being quick to overreact – most of us are just excitable big kids who still daydream about shooting off to a different planet – you’ll be forgiven for having quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was aliens or some other kind of fantastical phenomenon.
Come on, who wouldn’t see this and start to wonder?
However, we hate to spoil your fun but it wasn’t some kind of UFO or something from another universe – but is that what they want us to think?…
Just kidding; after countless people hopped on social media to question what on Earth (or rather not) was going on with the sky and post their own pictures of the strange spiral, one reason was quickly put forward by numerous users and news outlets.
It didn’t take long for those in the US, or who are at least privy to whatever random interstellar nonsense Elon Musk is up to at the minute, to point out that a SpaceX launch had just occurred.
On Monday, 24 March, the American aerospace company launched their Falcon 9 rocket just before 6pm GMT and the spiral-like shape, which was visible for several minutes before fading, is believed to have been caused by leftover fuel released by the rocket during the second phase of its launch.
With SpaceX having already shown off how their rockets can now return to Earth, the subsequent fuel plume, on the other hand, freezes instantly and the light transmitting through the atmosphere is the “likely” reason behind this strange spiral illusion, according to the Met Office and other experts.
We've received many reports of an illuminated swirl in the sky this evening 💫
This is likely to be caused by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched earlier today. The rocket's frozen exhaust plume appears to be spinning in the atmosphere and reflecting the sunlight, causing it to… pic.twitter.com/4a9urgZceR
So whilst it may not be as sci-fi as your imaginations were hoping for, it is still a showcase of how far we’ve come in terms of technological advancements and creating visuals that would previously feel inexplicable and probably lead to the man on the street to tell his mates, ‘I saw something last night’.
Musk’s relationship with returning President Donald Trump is one that causes concern across large sections of the political landscape and as for his continued space-age innovation, many are deeply worried about the pollution and wider environmental impact caused by several of his companies.
But to circle back: no, it wasn’t some alien portal – just rocket fuel.
Incredible time-lapse.
Tonight, a glowing spiral appeared in the sky over the UK and Europe, likely caused by frozen fuel released from a SpaceX rocket’s second stage after launch. The pattern was visible for several minutes before fading.pic.twitter.com/jL7CXKmXCl
The Manc -
12th August 2020 
