Coronavirus infection rate falls again in Greater Manchester - could it signal the end of Tier 3 restrictions?

direct to your inboxThe coronavirus infection rate is now rising in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. The government is now under increasing pressure to delay the reopening of all schools on Monday as a result of the concerning data trend.

direct to your inboxThe streets were empty as Greater Manchester said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in a new year - but many were determined to keep alive at least one tradition.Our video from Werneth Low shows how many parts of Greater Manchester were ablaze with colour as people set off fireworks at midnight to celebrate the arrival of 2021.Around 200 socially distanced people gathered on the popular spot to watch the moment our region said goodbye to 2020 and ushered in the New Year.Car horns

direct to your inboxIt has been a year like no other.However Great Mancunians have still made headlines across the world, for all sorts of reasons.Here we look at those who have put the region on the map in 2020, a year we will never forget.2020 has undoubtedly belonged to Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford.However it is his incredible work off the pitch which has made the headlines, even more than his impressive goal-scoring feats on it.The Withington-born and Wythenshawe raised

direct to your inboxWhen the new term starts next week for primary schools, headteacher Ruth Vayro knows some parents will keep their children at home."Our families do trust us at St Ambrose to keep children safe but I'm sure some parents will take the decision not to return their children to school because they just don't know."Parents will be concerned just as they are in London and Greater London."I completely empathise with parents - I'm a parent.

direct to your inbox"It's absolutely gut-wrenching."Hair salon owner Jane Nixon describes how she felt as Matt Hancock announced that Greater Manchester would be moving into Tier 4.And it's a feeling thousands of business owners across the region will be familiar with.A change in restrictions, businesses finally being allowed to open then being forced to shut again just a few weeks later.

direct to your inboxDoctors and paramedics say they are bracing themselves for a new tide of Covid patients to hit Greater Manchester's hospitals within weeks. Speaking as plans for the region's move to Tier 4 were announced and the return to school for secondary pupils was delayed, Dr Carole Gavin, a consultant in Greater Manchester, said concerns were growing as hospitals in the south battle to find beds as infection rates - largely found to be caused by the new mutant strain - rise.

direct to your inboxA Greater Manchester Police chief has urged people to stay at home in Tier 4 tomorrow night instead of celebrating New Year's Eve as they normally would. Under Tier 4 coronavirus restrictions, people are required by law to remain at home unless they need to leave their home for essential reasons.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester, along with large swathes of the country, will wake up to the strictest coronavirus measures tomorrow.An additional 20 million people will be in Tier 4 of the Government’s Covid-19 restrictions from Thursday (December 31).This means a total of 44 million people will now be in Tier 4 - or 78 per cent of the population of England.And for those living in an area that has now been moved to Tier 4, things are about to be very different.From socialising, going to

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direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates are continuing to rise in Greater Manchester with six out of the region's 10 boroughs seeing increases.The latest Public Health England data for the week ending December 25 shows the average rate for the region now stands at 190.9 per 100,000 people.This is well below the national average transmission rate of 367.4.However, as the most recent set of data available is for the week up to Christmas Day, there was a drop in positive tests.

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates have risen again in Greater Manchester with nine out of the region's ten boroughs recording increases.The overall rate for Greater Manchester has reached 203.9 per 100,000 people - a considerable increase of 24 per cent week on week.The latest data released by Public Health England confirms that the virus is spreading at an accelerating pace in our region.The national average rose again to 392.1 per 100,000 in the week ending December 24 (the most

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates are continuing to rise in Greater Manchester with nine out of the region's ten boroughs seeing increases.The region-wide infection rate looks set to top 200 cases per 100,000 people again for the first time since last month.There have been alarming increases in rates in Stockport and Trafford, which now has the highest infection rate in the region. In total, nine out of ten boroughs saw increases in their infection rates the week ending December

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection continue to climb in eight boroughs in Greater Manchester - with a big spike in cases in Trafford and Tameside.There has been a 10.6pc week-on-week rise in cases in the region as of December 19, according to data from Public Health England.In Trafford, infection rates have spike by 55pc to 170.6 cases per 100,000 people.In Tameside, rates have increased by 45pc to 132.5 cases per 100,000 people.Cases are also rising at a slower rate in Bury, Oldham,

direct to your inboxTwo men from Greater Manchester who won £20,000 on the hit BBC show Race Across the World have donated their prize money to charity.Emon Choudhury, 36, from Stockport, beat four other teams to win the race alongside his nephew Jamiul Choudhury, 25, from Oldham.The pair beat the odds to complete an epic 54-day journey from Mexico City to the south of Argentina for the second series of the BBC2 show.On their travels, the men were visibly moved by the number of homeless children

hereThe infection rate for Greater Manchester as a whole now stands at 162.8 cases per 100,000 people, which is the highest level for the region since December 2.Over the last two weeks, the rate has remained relatively static at just over 150 cases per 100,000 but has started to climb up again in the last three days.The Greater Manchester rate is way below the average rate for the whole of England, which is now at 284.2 cases per 100,000 people and has risen 62 per cent in a week.In London the

direct to your inboxCoronavirus infection rates in Greater Manchester have continued to creep up.The rate of infection in our region is up 3.4 per cent week-on-week as of December 16, according to the latest figures.In London, where tough Tier 4 measures have been introduced, infection rates are up 114 per cent week-on-week.‘Christmas bubbles' in London have been cancelled and people are being urged to stay at home. It marks a huge u-turn for the government, who until yesterday planned to relax

direct to your inboxA further ten people have died in Greater Manchester's hospitals after testing positive for coronavirus.The region's hospital death toll now stands at 4,029, according to the latest NHS figures.Another four deaths have been recorded at both Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletterYou can sign up very simply by following the

Don't miss a thing that's happening in and around Bury by signing up to the free MyBury newsletterThe coronavirus infection rate has gone up in Greater Manchester for the first time in weeks.It currently sits at 161.4 per 100,000 people during the week ending December 15 - that's a 6.3 per cent increase on the previous week.It is the first week-on-week increase in Greater Manchester of more than 1 percent since October 31.The infection rate has remained fairly level across the region for the

direct to your inbox Nine Greater Manchester boroughs now have coronavirus infection rates that are lower than the average for England - but numbers are beginning to creep up in some areas.

direct to your inboxThe coronavirus infection rate has fallen in Greater Manchester - but it is soaring in London.The latest figures from Public Health England reveal there were 154.9 positive tests for every 100,000 people in Greater Manchester for the week ending December 11, a fall of four per cent compared to the previous week.During the same period, the infection rate in London soared by 61 per cent to 296.8 - double that in Greater Manchester.Government scientists are trying to establish