All the latest updates on whether Greater Manchester will go into Tier 2 today

Today is the day that Greater Manchester and other areas of the country will find out their fate, as the government is set to announce which areas, if any, will be moving tiers.

The health secretary Matt Hancock is due to make the announcement later this morning, after the government met yesterday to discuss a review of the tier system.

While leaders in Greater Manchester say we have a strong case for moving into Tier 2, there’s indications that there might not be a lot of movement between the tiers today.

According to the BBC, Mr Hancock is expected to be making a statement on the tiers at around 11:30am.

Robert Linsdell/Wikimedia

However, the health secretary is expected to only announce minor changes to the tiers before Christmas, with the PA news agency being told that Mr Hancock won’t make many changes to the current allocations.

Andy Burnham has said ‘the evidence would support’ parts of Greater Manchester moving into Tier 2 but that he feels ‘less and less hopeful’ about that actually happening.

Our region has seen ‘steady decreases’ across all boroughs, and although we are seeing some rises currently, only one borough (Rochdale, 206.8 cases per 100,000) remains very slightly above the national average for England (205.7).

Greater Manchester’s average rate is currently around 150 cases per 100,000, which is significantly lower than the England-wide average.

Julian Wan/Unsplash

The mayor told BBC Breakfast that he thought the relaxation of the household mixing rules between December 23rd-27th was ‘a mistake’, adding that ministers could try to ‘overcompensate with the decisions on the tiers’ as a result.

He also said that closing hospitality at this time of the year creates ‘a substantial risk of many more gatherings in the home.. and that is where most of the virus spreads’.

Mr Burnham told BBC Breakfast: “It’s clear a mistake has been made over Christmas. I have to say I did say it at the time, that it was allowing too much. My worry is they’re now about to overcompensate with the decisions on the tiers.

“We will see but it will be very hard on people here who’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get into a much better position, and actually I think the time has come to allow at least part of Greater Manchester to be released from those (Tier 3) restrictions.”