A petition to keep gyms and fitness centres open under Tier 3 rules could be put up for debate in the House of Commons after receiving huge support.
Currently, health facilities must close if they are in a ‘very high risk’ area.
But thousands have rushed to back a new campaign which asks for “gyms to not be put in the same group as pubs in terms of risk or importance” and therefore remain operational – even in Tier 3 regions.
According to the government, petitions which reach 100,000 signatures “are almost always debated.”
Despite only going live this week, the ‘keep gyms open’ campaign has nearly accrued the six-figure support required to be put in front of parliament.
A new tier system has come into effect from today (14 October) – separating regions in England by their risk level (‘medium’, ‘high’, and ‘very high’).
So far, only the Liverpool City Region has been placed into the highest risk category of Tier 3 – which has led to the closure of hospitality and leisure in Liverpool, Knowsley, Wirral, St Helens, Sefton and Halton.
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There has also been a total ban on household mixing in these areas.
Gyms have also been told to shut down whilst the region remains under Tier 3 restrictions.
But many members of the sector are backing the campaign to overturn the ruling – including Pure Gym who have claimed the “facts indicate that gyms are safe with no evidence of Covid-19 transmission.”
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According to the Liverpool Echo, the fitness company are even considering taking legal action.
Me on Saturday to No 10 officials “Gyms are safer than supermarkets, more COVID-19 transmissions come from our schools and retail than Gyms” response “we are not closing schools or restricting retail, so we can only go for Hospitality & leisure.“ Government decision not ours! https://t.co/MdHbbeCx74
Directly elected Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has distanced himself from the decision to shut fitness facilities – calling it a “Government decision”.
The Mayor also claimed he told Number 10 that “gyms are safer than supermarkets” during tier discussions, but the government were committed to closing hospitality and leisure.
Greater Manchester was originally placed into Tier 2 – or ‘high’ risk – category, leaving many businesses to operate as normal.
However, a Gold Command meeting is set to be held later this afternoon to reconsider whether the region should be reclassified as Tier 3.
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This would mean that workout centres must close across all ten boroughs.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said that the city will “not accept” any attempts by the government to bump up the alert level in the region.
“Since one meeting on Friday, the Government has not discussed these matters with us,” said the Mayor.
“Instead, the pressure is being piled on via media briefings.
“Later today I will set out why the current Tier 3 proposal is fundamentally flawed and why we won’t accept it.”
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Met Office gives verdict on how Storm Boelo aftermath will affect Greater Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Storm Boelo is finally on his way out, and now the Met Office has given its verdict on what we can expect from the rest of the week.
In the aftermath of two successive storms, Storm Austen followed by Storm Boelo – the latter of which affected Greater Manchester – the UK is now able to begin recovering from the effects of the adverse weather.
But the Met Office has warned that, although there is no named storm, strong winds and heavy rain will continue to affect parts of the UK early this week, before high pressure brings calmer conditions.
Yellow national severe weather warnings are in place for parts of Scotland and western areas of the UK today (Tuesday 27 October), including areas of the North West, as gales and spells of rain bring the potential for ongoing disruption around the region, particularly on exposed coasts and higher ground.
“The continued winds could hamper recovery efforts in some places,” forecasters also unfortunately confirmed.
⚠️ Strong winds and heavy rain continue across parts of the UK early this week with a yellow weather warning in place, before high pressure brings calmer conditions for many from Wednesday ⛅
Read our news release to find out more 👇
https://t.co/EQU4vvaA3B https://t.co/hpvTd8v7EZ
As rest of the week pans out though, conditions will begin to settle down and showers are expected to become ‘less frequent’, while winds also ease for most, although gales could continue for a time in the far north.
Thursday is expected be ‘largely dry’ with lighter winds and variable cloud, with a touch of mist and fog likely across parts of England and Wales during the morning.
From Friday and into the weekend, light rain will team up to potentially affect northwestern areas of England, but for the most part, temperatures are expected to remain close to, or slightly above, average for the time of year.
“From Wednesday, high pressure will start to build which will ease the winds and bring a quieter and largely drier end to the week for many, although some rain is still possible in the North and West,” explained Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, Steven Keates.
“However, with wind warnings in place, those in warnings areas, particularly in northern Scotland and western high ground, continue to be exposed to strong winds and heavy rain before the more settled weather arrives.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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Popular pumpkin patch attraction describes ‘catastrophic’ impact of Storm Boelo
Daisy Jackson
Bates Farm, one of the most popular pumpkin patch attractions in the North West, has shared its heartbreak after Storm Boelo forced its closure on the busiest day of the season.
The Warrington-based family farm said the financial impact has been ‘honestly catastrophic’, after they had to cancel all tickets for Sunday.
Sisters Ali and Fiona Wilshaw, who run the farm, said it was simply not safe to allow members of the public onto the farm in the storm, with ‘crazy’ gusts of wind.
They later shared a video that showed their marquee was badly damaged and many footpaths turned to deep mud.
The sisters said they were ‘heartbroken’ to have to close at such a busy time, but stressed to followers that ‘your safety and our integrity will always come first’.
On Saturday, as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo chased each other across the UK, several people shared videos of themselves getting battered by the weather at Bates Farm.
And it’s pretty clear from that why Ali and Fi decided to cancel all tickets and close for the day on Sunday.
They wrote: “We have put in so much love, energy and investment putting on this event at this scale. The cost to cancel and refund everyone today on our busiest day of the season is honestly catastrophic, but business aside, your safety and our integrity will always come first.
“To think last night we were running round Tesco trying to stock up on milk and now we are in the depths of recovering the site to go again tomorrow. All emails and enquiries are being responded to as quickly as possible and we are doing our best to open up more available slots next week.
“We are being tested like never before, but pulling together in true force. Huge shout out to the whole team and Farmer Fi the absolute queen in any crisis.
“Thank you all for your patience and especially thank you to those who have sent such kind words and support, we are so grateful to have customers like you.
“We will be back tomorrow to enjoy the remaining of this tough season, we are putting in so many provisions with wood chip paths, undercover seating and an indoor barn to make your visit as enjoyable as possible. Ali & Fi.”
Anyone who had tickets to visit Bates Farm on Sunday will be refunded, and can book in for another date.
Bates Farm has safely reopened its autumnal experience and pumpkin patch today.
The Manc -
14th October 2020 
