The UK government announced a new set of measures on Tuesday to help curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in England.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson first confirmed the new restrictions to MPs in the House of Commons in the afternoon, before speaking to the nation in a direct address in the evening.
A number of these significant restrictions officially come into force today.
As well as updated guidance and legislation introduced for a 10pm curfew on hospitality venues, the rule of six, and working from home, these measures also crucially include new locations in which the wearing of face masks and coverings are now legally required by law except in the case of exemption.
The wearing of face coverings in certain public settings has been a mandatory requirement in England for the last month or so – with fines of £100 (reducing to £50 if paid within 14 days) – but other places join the list today.
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It was also announced that the government will now bring forward changes for failing to comply with face covering rules.
This means that for repeat offenders, fines would double at each offence up to a maximum value of £6,400.
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New restrictions have been introduced in England to reduce the spread of #COVID19, including:
▶️Working from home, if you can ▶️Closing of hospitality venues by 10pm ▶️Stricter enforcement of rules around self-isolation & wearing face coveringshttps://t.co/jZcQqL0t5Kpic.twitter.com/1QSh39H40A
Where is it now mandatory to wear a face covering from today?
It is now a legal requirement to wear a mask when you are in the following venues, on top of all the places you already had to wear one.
The exemption is when you need to remove it to eat or drink.
These are as follows:
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Pubs
Restaurants
Bars (Including Hotel Bars
Theatres
Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles
The latter comes after the wearing of face coverings was already made mandatory in Uber vehicles from 15th June, with both passengers and drivers reserving the right to cancel their ride if the other party refuses to wear a mask.
Where are face coverings already mandatory?
The following public settings already require members of the public to wear a face covering by law:
Shops and Supermarkets
Public Transport (Airplanes, Trains, Trams and Buses)
Enclosed Shopping Centres
Banks and Building Societies
Post Offices
Places of Worship
Hair Salons, Barbers, Nail Salons, Massage Centres, Tattoo and Piercing Parlours
Cinemas
Museums
Galleries
Aquariums
Vets
Zoos and Visitor Farms
Any Other Tourist, Heritage or Cultural Site
Community or Youth Centres
Social or Members’ Clubs
Funeral Homes and Burial Ground Chapels
Public Areas in Hotels and Hostels
Concert and Exhibition Halls
Conference Centres
Any Other ‘Public Hall’
Transport Hubs, Stations and Terminals
Bingo Halls
Libraries
Casinos
Auction Houses
Storage and Distribution Facilities
The rules on the wearing of face coverings has also changed for staff working in various retail and hospitality sectors from today too.
Businesses are now legally required to have employees or “persons providing services” wear masks in – pubs, shops (apart from premises providing legal and financial services), enclosed shopping centres, restaurants, bars, banks and building societies, post offices, community centres, youth centres, members clubs and social clubs, public areas in hotels and hostels, concert halls, exhibition halls, conference centres or other public halls, cinemas, museums, galleries, aquariums, indoor zoos and visitor farms and other indoor parts of tourist, heritage or cultural sites, bingo halls, libraries, casinos and theatres.
When can I remove my mask?
The new guidance and legislation does detail a number of instances in which members of the public are permitted to remove their face covering.
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These are as follows:
If asked to do so in a bank, building society, or post office for identification.
If asked to do so by shop staff or relevant employees for identification, for assessing health recommendations (eg: by a pharmacist), or for age identification purposes including when buying age restricted products such as alcohol.
If required in order to receive treatment or services (eg: when getting a facial).
In order to take medication.
If you are delivering a sermon or prayer in a place or worship.
If you are the persons getting married in a relevant place.
If you are aged 11 to 18 attending a faith school and having lessons in a place of worship as part of your core curriculum.
If you are undertaking exercise or an activity and it would negatively impact your ability to do so.
If you are an elite sports person, professional dancer or referee acting in the course of your employment.
When seated to eat or drink in a hospitality premise – such as a pub, bar, restaurant or cafe – but you must put a face covering back on once you finish eating or drinking.
Who is exempt?
The government has also previously released an official list of individuals who are exempt from wearing face coverings.
These exemptions still stand and are as follows:
Children under the age of 11 (Public Health England does not recommended face coverings for children under the age of three for health and safety reasons).
People who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability.
Where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress.
If you are speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate.
To avoid harm or injury, or the risk of harm or injury, to yourself or others ‒ including if it would negatively impact on your ability to exercise or participate in a strenuous activity.
Police officers and other emergency workers, given that this may interfere with their ability to serve the public.
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For the latest information, guidance and support during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK, please do refer to official sources at gov.uk/coronavirus.
#HandsFaceSpace
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Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Featured Images — Charles Bowring (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
🔵 Subscribe to our Manchester City page on BBC Sounds for the latest interviews. #MCFC#bbcfootball
Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
The Manc -
24th September 2020 
