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Leaked government plans reveal tough new ‘level three’ lockdown which would close pubs
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A new three-tier system with tougher restrictions could be imposed in England if cases aren’t brought under control.
The Mirror has reported that pubs could be closed and social contact outside of household groups could be restricted nationally or locally due to soaring infection rates.
According to the Guardian, the new ‘Covid-19 Proposed Social Distancing Framework’ is designed to simplify existing localised restrictions.
The leaked government plans are yet to be finalised by Downing Street officials.
The tiering system could work like this:
Red Alert – Level 3
- No social contact with anyone outside of your household
- Hospitality and leisure businesses closed
- Hobbies and amateur sports banned
Amber Alert – Level 2
- No social contact in private homes or gardens outside of household
- Avoid visiting care homes
- Make only essential journeys
Green Alert – Level 1
- Rule of six for social gatherings
- Face masks in shops, pubs and transport
- 10pm curfew on hospitality
- 15 people at weddings and 30 people at funerals
There are currently 50 different areas in England with overlapping restrictions with some legal and some guidance. The prime minister was unable to explain the different rules last week.
The BBC explained that Level 1 would be for areas with fewer than 100 cases per 100,000 people. Level 2 would be for areas with more than 100 cases per 100,00 people, and it is believed no areas would be immediately put into Level 3.
Level 3 would be for areas where Level 2 did not work in containing the virus, it will exclude schools, supermarkets and places of worship.
It has also been suggested that the government provides additional financial support, including £1 per head of population in Level 2 and £2ph in Level 3.
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This comes after the news that Manchester currently has the highest coronavirus infection rate in the whole of England.
On Friday, Public Health England revealed that 16,000 coronavirus cases were not added to official figures or to their contacts for the Test and Trace due to a ‘computer glitch’.
With the addition of these missed cases, figures from Public Health England show the rate of infection over the past seven days for the week ending October 1st in Manchester reached 495.6 cases per 100,000.
Andy Burnham has explained that ‘time is running out’ for the government to get things right ahead of the ‘most difficult winter we have ever experienced’.
He said the new approach ‘could improve public understanding of the restrictions in different areas’.
He said the new system should be based upon five key conditions:
- Clear thresholds for entry/exit from the different tiers
- The ability for local areas in tiers 2 and 3 to request local control of the Test and Trace system, with resources transferring from the national system
- Agreed levels of extra financial support for councils in tiers 2 and 3
- A package of support for local businesses affected by local restrictions
- A local furlough scheme where businesses are required to close
Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow health secretary, explained that ‘clear criteria to apply when an area goes into lockdown and how it escapes’ has long been called for by Labour.
Adding that: “In recent days, Boris Johnson got himself into an utter muddle over these rules, confirming that the ad hoc way in which decisions are made causes confusion.”
Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire won the Rose d‘Or Award for her portrayal of Catherine Cawood in the BBC drama.
The Rose d’Or Awards is a prestigious ceremony celebrating international excellence in entertainment programming. The 62nd event was held in London and hosted by comedian and writer David Baddiel.
Collecting her performance of the year award, Lancashire said: “This is thrilling, [I want to] thank those who are responsible for bringing this amazing series to screen.”
Happy Valley is an award-winning British crime drama set in the Calder Valley area of West Yorkshire, written by Sally Wainwright.
The series, which aired on BBC One, follows Lancashire in the role of no-nonsense copper Sergeant Catherine Cawood who comes up against James Norton’s character; evil criminal Tommy Lee Royce – who Sergeant Cawood holds responsible for her daughter’s suicide.
The gripping series concluded earlier this year and has been receiving a raft of nods for performances, as well as for the show itself, ever since.
The BBC also scooped best documentary for The Man Who Played With Fire while ITV’s The 1% Club, hosted by comedian Lee Mack, picked up the award for studio entertainment.
British series A Whole Lifetime With Jamie Demetriou also took home the best comedy entertainment award on the night.
In his acceptance speech, Demetriou said: “What a lovely looking award this is. It needs to be said, David’s opening monologue is honestly one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.”
Lancashire, Dayan and Edebiri join previous recipients of Rose d’Or special awards, including Sir David Attenborough, Brian Cox, Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, James Corden, John Cleese and the late Dame Angela Lansbury.
The Rose d’Or Awards has defined the gold standard for excellence and achievement in International TV and Audio programme making since 1961.
News
Mum opens accessible chippy so autistic son ‘has a job for life’
She opened the chippy after a stranger made a comment about her son online
A mum from Lancashire has opened up a chippy so that her autistic son ‘has a job for life’, after a stranger’s comment online.
Gillian Jervis opened Oliver’s Chippy in Warton, near Blackpool, after a stranger’s comments on a forum online – calling her son Oliver ‘a burden on the state’ – prompted her to prove them wrong.
About the comment, Gillian told ITV News: “I sometimes think I dreamt the comment and that I made it all up, because why would you say something like that?
“Have I read it wrong? I went through all of those emotions – it knocked me sideways.”
The mum-of-four decided to start a business in her son’s name and opened Oliver’s Chippy in 2021 – where Gillian is already training the 12-year-old so that he can take over when he grows up.
On why she chose to open a chip shop business for Oliver she said: “It gives him his structure, it’s a bit like school; his daily routine that he has to have.
“What you end up doing everyday – prepping the food, serving the food, making up the food, stocking the fridges… he’ll learn all that before he starts at sixteen.”
Oliver’s autism means he has some communication difficulties though he is able to express himself in other ways.
The chippy is built with facilities to help people with communication and accessibility issues by using visual screens on the tills instead of words and phrases.
As Gillian explains: “You’ve got people with a stutter, so I’ve looked at it this way. Before people start to speak, they look at pictures don’t they?
“It’s better to see a picture of what you want, it gives you the confidence to come into my shop and order what you want without saying it.”
Not only do these images help Oliver, they also help customers who may communicate better with visual aids. Not only this, the chippy also offers services to help make it easier for all neurodivergent people to place their orders.
Gillian said: “We do have a disability point access, we do have a ramp, we do have a visual menu.
“If you came in and you want your order all separate and you said ‘jigsaw’ we know that it means everything’s separate.” The chippy can make sure different food isn’t touching others by offering cartons with separated sections.
Since opening, the chip shop has fed more than 1,300 children and supported other families across the Fylde Coast. This includes giving away a family holiday, an iPad, air fryer and over 100 competition meals.
She continued: “We had the cost of living crisis, fuel shortages, the after effects of Covid and people not working as they were, with people losing their jobs due to Covid as well.
“So I just said to Arran, ‘shall we feed the kids for free?’ He said ‘yes – but how are we going to do it?’ I said ‘I don’t know, but we’ll find a way of doing it’.”
Opening in 2021 during the pandemic, the first Easter holidays saw the chip shop take a financial hit as it gave out free meals for children in the area.
But during the summer holidays later that same year, the business was supported by Bryning with Warton Parish Council as a Go Fund Me was started to raise the funds.
An 82-year-old woman has sadly died after being hit by a vehicle on a main road in Tameside yesterday.
The elderly woman was critically injured in the collision which happened on Manchester Road, in Audenshaw, at around 5.55pm on Monday, November 20th.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, close to the Snipe Retail Park, and an ambulance took her to hospital.
The driver of the vehicle, a 31-year-old woman, remained at the scene and has continued to assist police with enquiries.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed the woman has now died from her injuries and are appealing for witnesses of the collision to come forward to help them with their investigations.
Confirming the tragic update in a statement, the force said: “At around 5.55pm on Monday November 20th, Greater Manchester Police were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian on Manchester Road, Audenshaw.
“An 82-year-old woman who was taken to hospital in a serious condition has since sadly died from her injuries.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 31-year-old woman, remained at the scene and is continuing to assist police with enquiries.
“Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision – and are continuing to appeal for anyone with relevant mobile, dashcam or CCTV footage to please come forward.”
Members of the public can submit information and footage by calling 0161 856 4741 quoting log 2797 of 20/11/23. You can also report information online using the LiveChat function on the website: www.gmp.police.uk.
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