What we know this morning about Greater Manchester’s new coronavirus restrictions
Measures came into force at midnight putting tighter restrictions on social gatherings in Greater Manchester and other parts of the north, banning residents from separate households from meeting indoors.
Measures came into force at midnight putting tighter restrictions on social gatherings in Greater Manchester and other parts of the North, banning residents from separate households from meeting indoors.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock made the sudden announcement yesterday evening (30 July), explaining that people in certain areas would no longer be permitted to congregate due to a rise in COVID-19 cases across these regions.
The areas to which the ban applies are:
Greater Manchester
Pendle
Hyndburn
Burnley
Rossendale
Blackburn with Darwen
Bradford
Calderdale
Kirklees
Leicester City
The new guidelines, which were enforced in Greater Manchester following discussions with local Mayor Andy Burnham, will apparently be reviewed on a weekly basis.
Local authorities and police will have the power to enforce the rules whilst they remain in place, and anyone caught breaching them can face a £100 fine.
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News of the indoor ban was initially published in short bursts via Twitter with little context, leaving residents confused as to whether they were still allowed to go to work, enter shops or visit pubs and restaurants.
But more details have been published this morning.
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Mayor of Great Manchester Andy Burnham says "the picture in Greater Manchester has changed over the past 7 days… we now have a rising rate in 9 out of 10 boroughs…we had concluded ourselves that something needed to be done" #R4Todayhttps://t.co/bFxQjfWOwf
Can I meet with others in a bar, restaurant, cafe or garden?
The new rules state that no two households should meet indoors in any premises.
According to the latest information, cafes, bars, pubs and restaurants will continue to remain open – but no two households should visit these public places together.
Different households are also banned from mixing in gardens.
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People can, however, continue to meet with their ‘support bubbles’.
Anyone who lives alone or with dependent children (aged under 18) is permitted to be in a support bubble with another household.
Can I go to work?
As for work, nothing has changed.
The Government stated: “People living inside and outside of this area can continue to travel in and out for work” but social distancing guidelines must be adhered to.
I’m shielding; do I need to continue?
Originally, shielding guidance was set to end on 1 August.
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However, the Government has now said that people should continue to shield in “Blackburn with Darwen in the North West and other local affected areas across England where shielding continues.”
Can funerals and weddings in Manchester still go ahead?
These types of gatherings are permitted to continue.
No more than 30 people should attend a marriage ceremony or funeral.
For weddings, any congregation after the ceremony “should involve no more than two households in any location or, if outdoors, up to six people from different households.”
Can I share a car with people outside my household?
The Government is discouraging this.
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However, if car-sharing is necessary, drivers should thoroughly clean their vehicles before and after each trip, open the windows, avoid carrying different passengers, and ensure everyone inside wears face masks.
Can I still visit a place of worship?
This is allowed, but you must socially distance yourself from people outside of your household and wear a face mask if closer than 2m apart.
The Health Secretary said these actions had been taken with “a heavy heart”.
“We’re constantly looking at the latest data on the spread of coronavirus, and unfortunately we’ve seen an increasing rate of transmission in parts of Northern England,” Mr. Hancock explained.
“We’ve been working with local leaders across the region, and today I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee. Based on the data, we decided that in Greater Manchester, parts of West Yorkshire and East Lancashire we need to take immediate action to keep people safe.
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Andy Burnham said: “The picture in Greater Manchester has changed over the past 7 days.
“We now have a rising rate in 9 out of 10 boroughs.
“We had concluded ourselves that something needed to be done.”
He also called on residents to “protect one another” by observing the new requirements.
“They will be reviewed weekly; meaning the more we stick to them, the quicker they will be removed,” the Mayor commented.
Bolton woman who falsely accused 10 men of raping her has been jailed
Emily Sergeant
A woman from Bolton who falsely accused 10 different men of raping her over a six-year period has now been jailed.
Stacey Sharples, 31 from Farnworth in Bolton, pleaded guilty of 10 counts of perverting the course of justice in relation to reports against 10 separate men at Bolton Crown Court earlier last month (2 February 2026), before appearing in court again this week to be sentenced.
The investigation into Sharples was launched after the arrests and questioning of almost all these men, and following the pursuing of all relevant lines of enquiry, which consistently revealed evidence contrary to what had been disclosed by Sharples.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says investigations of this nature are ‘extremely rare’ and the decision to pursue Sharples as a suspect was ‘not one taken lightly’.
“However, it is our duty to act in the public interest and on the evidence and information we uncover and receive, which in this case demonstrated a continuous, wilful making of false allegations, knowing full well the consequences for each of the men involved,” GMP said in a statement following Sharples’ sentencing.
Of the allegations Sharples pleaded guilty to – of which were made over a six-year period between 2013 and 2019 – most of the men were arrested and spent time in custody, with some also undertaking intimate examinations, and almost all spending periods of time on police bail or released under investigation.
Statements from the men accused by Stacey Sharples / Credit: GMP
GMP says there’s ‘no doubt’ the reports and arrests have had an impact on these men, their sense of self and relationships, their wider networks, and how they move forward with their lives.
False accounts also undermine those who have genuinely experienced sexual violence.
Police say it also affects the confidence in the criminal justice system, and that the time spent investigating Sharples’ reports could have been put towards investigating ‘genuine reports of sexual offences’ instead.
Sharples has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to making false rape allegations.
Speaking following Sharples’ sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, who investigated this case, said: “We took the allegations made by Stacey Sharples seriously, explored all lines of enquiry and swiftly made arrests or interviewed of all the men she accused.
“We gave her multiple opportunities to provide further explanation or information to us, after interviews with the men and subsequent evidence uncovered didn’t align with her first recollection, as we understand that trauma can impact how victims and survivors recount their experiences.
“Ultimately, as the evidence continued to demonstrate that the reports were untrue, coupled with the desire for justice from some of the men who had been falsely accused, it was right that we followed the evidence and pursued the individual who had actually committed a criminal offence.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Major pop star CMAT pops up for surprise performance in Gay Village bar
Daisy Jackson
CMAT, one of the world’s hottest artists right now, popped up and did a surprise set inside a legendary Gay Village bar last night.
The Irish singer (who is a bit of an adopted Manc at this point) is about to play two massive sold-out shows in Manchester.
She’s set to play at the O2 Victoria Warehouse tonight and tomorrow, performing hits from her chart-topping third studio album Euro-Country.
But before that, it was a night out on Canal Street for CMAT, who stunned punters inside Via by hopping up on stage.
CMAT jumped on stage along with drag queen Ginger Hunter, resident queen Amy Laqueefa, and Dahliah Rivers and belted out a rendition of her smash hit single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.
The group – and the delighted audience – all joined her in nailing the choreography to the song too.
Sharing a couple of videos, Via wrote: “What a Night! Ireland’s Pop Princess @cmatbaby paid us a visit and gave us a very special rendition of Take a Sexy Picture! We love Cmat.”
She’d also been spotted earlier in the evening at Lily Allen’s West End Girl show at Aviva Studios.
Dahliah Rivers commented: “A fever dream!!! What a gorgeous evening”
Amy LaQueefa wrote: “Obsessed that CMAT wanted to come and get up with us tonight”
Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT relocated to Manchester as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.
She’s supported the likes of Sam Fender, and played massive festival slots like Glastonbury last summer.
And now CMAT will head straight from the stage at Via to a much bigger platform, with two sold-out gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on 11 and 12 March.
The Manc -
31st July 2020 
