How Greater Manchester's infection rates compare to rest of England as Tier 4 is introduced

direct to your inbox Data showing the most recent  coronavirus  infection rate for each individual local authority area in England has been released. The latest figures, compiled by Public Health England published on Thursday show that once again, an overwhelming majority of areas in England have seen a sharp rise in the number of new Covid-19 cases.Of the 315 local areas in England, 314 have seen an increase in case rates and just one (Richmond upon Thames) has seen a fall.

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged the government to extend its ban on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic to avoid a further surge in homelessness.Court-ordered evictions are due to start again on January 11 after being temporarily suspended after the initial Covid-19 outbreak.Boris Johnson says the ban will be kept under review after being challenged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during a debate this week.But Mr Burnham is seeking a cast-iron

Greater Manchester hospitals could face a surge in patients in the coming fortnight.The number of coronavirus patients in UK hospitals is now over 30,000 and today a further 1,041 Covid-19 deaths were announced - the highest daily total since April.Boris Johnson today proposed legislation that will allow England's third national lockdown to run until March 31 but he warned that the restrictions are unlikely to be lifted wholesale and that there will be an easing back into local tiers if

direct to your inboxThe coronavirus vaccination programme is underway in Greater Manchester.A number of vaccine centres offering the Pfizer jab opened before Christmas.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised that 1,000 vaccination sites will go 'live' across the country by Friday. Meanwhile, the Etihad Tennis and Football Centre has been confirmed by the Govenment as one of seven 'super-vaccination' centres due to open next week.

direct to your inboxA Manchester MP has highlighted to the Prime Minister the plight of an unemployed constituent living during the Covid-19 pandemic on just £8 a month.Speaking in the Commons as Parliament was recalled today to vote on regulations enforcing the country's latest coronavirus restrictions, Jeff Smith told Boris Johnson of 'Ross', who he said lost his job during the first national coronavirus lockdown in March.The Withington MP said his constituent was one of many who have 'fallen

direct to your inboxThousands of students across Greater Manchester face being asked to pay rent despite being told not return to their accommodation.Fees of as much as £3,000 are due in the coming weeks for the spring term.But last night the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus that will last until at least mid-February.

Just before Boris Johnson announced the new national lockdown on Monday, Olivia Attwood managed to squeeze in a spot of retail therapy before having to be stuck indoors.The reality star, who looked uncrecognisable without lip fillers in a throwback snap, was spotted in Manchester city centre on Saturday afternoon.The 29 year old wore a grey tracksuit hoodie and pants for the outing and wore a protective face mask on her chin as she engaged in a phone call.

Prime Minister announced last night that all schools and colleges will close to the vast majority of pupils from today as learning goes online due to England's new national lockdown.

Sign up to the M.E.N.'s Manchester Family newsletter for all the latest from school closures to ways to entertain the kidsThe BBC has said it will ensure all children can access curriculum-based learning, even if they don’t have access to the internet.It comes as millions of parents began remote learning with their children on Tuesday (January 5) after a third national lockdown was announced by Boris Johnson.The new measures include the closure of schools except to vulnerable and key worker

straight to your inbox every day for freeMarcus Rashford has welcomed the news that pupils entitled to free school meals will still get them while schools are closed.The Manchester United footballer described the decision as “progress” and said the provision of meals for hungry children “should never be in question”.His comments come after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that all primaries, secondaries and colleges in England would close as part of a national lockdown.Free school meals

direct to your inboxParents have been left angry and frustrated after Boris Johnson insisted that primary schools were safe despite ongoing pressure to keep them closed.Primaries are due to reopen in Tier 4 areas except London tomorrow despite growing concerns about a new variant of coronavirus.Unions, teachers and scientists have urged the government to delay the reopening to curb mounting transmission rates.

direct to your inboxPrime Minister Boris Johnson has said parents should send children back to primary school tomorrow 'in areas where schools are open'.His comments come as pressure mounts on the government to keep schools closed amid concerns over rates of coronavirus transmission.The National Education Union (NEU), the UK's largest teaching union, told its members that it is unsafe for them to go back to work on Monday.

coronavirus infection rates increasing in all regions, along with the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, any changes are likely to involve areas moving up a tier rather than down.In Greater Manchester, infection rates are continuing to rise in nine out of the ten boroughs.A decision was understood to be made at a meeting of the Government’s Covid-19 Operations committee on Tuesday evening, which was chaired by Boris Johnson.Pressure has been mounting on ministers to expand Tier 4

direct to your inboxMore areas in England will move into Tier 4 lockdown. The new alert level - where restrictions are those of the national lockdown - was first introduced Boris Johnson during a televised press conference on Saturday (December 19).

Boris Johnson, introduced Tier 4 restrictions for 17 million people in London and parts of the Home Counties from midnight on Saturday, which saw all but non-essential shops close and people being told not to travel for Christmas.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 instructions hereThe French ports were shut after the Tier 4 measures were introduced as a new highly-transmissible

direct to your inboxNearly half of people surveyed think there should now be a national lockdown over Christmas.Some 47% of 5,734 people who answered the question in an Manchester Evening News survey over the Christmas bubble changes thought that we should move to one set of strict rules across the country. It comes as Boris Johnson is facing increasing pressure to take tougher measures after the new fast-spreading variant was identified.

direct to your inbox The latest figures showing the most recent coronavirus infection rate for every local authority area in England have been released. Public Health England data published on Monday shows that of the 315 local areas in England, 90 per cent (284) have seen a rise in case rates, while 10 per cent (30) have seen a fall.

direct to your inboxHospital bosses in Greater Manchester are meeting today (December 21) for a rapid review of testing, site access and visiting rules in light of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK.Northern Care Alliance (NCA) - the NHS group which runs hospitals and other health care services in Salford, Bury, Oldham and Rochdale - will today decide whether its infection prevention control measures must be strengthened.It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that the new

Bolton Council has said that people in the borough need to 'pull together' over Christmas in order to avoid any further lockdowns. Yesterday, Boris Johnson announced that plans to ease restrictions for five days over the festive period would have to be cancelled due to rising case numbers.

Manchester Evening News has created a special widget to help our readers keep up with the changes.