Tier 3, tier 2 or a bit of both? Greater Manchester holds its breath for yet another decision

direct to your inboxParents and children have been left in limbo ahead of the imminent reopening of primary schools and the risk posed by the new strain of COVID-19.It's understood that primaries in Greater Manchester will open as planned on Monday - despite action being taken to keep kids at home in other Tier 4 areas.It comes as 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.The NEU is one of several

direct to your inboxAnother 36 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Greater Manchester's hospitals.It brings the total number of deaths in the region's hospitals to 4,241.A further 20 deaths have been recorded at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust since December 30.Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust each recorded three deaths in the last 48 hours.And two people died at both Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and

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 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.

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Greater Manchester certainly has a lot to look forward to. Despite a challenging 12 months, the region already has a long list of new developments coming up in the next year and through to 2023.

direct to your inboxThe Met Office has issued another weather warning, with more snow is expected to hit the region in the next 24 hours.A yellow warning for snow and ice has been extended until tomorrow morning (Tuesday, December 29).The region was covered by a yellow warning for snow this morning.

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

direct to your inboxThe number of new Covid-19 hospital admissions in Greater Manchester is rising for the first time since mid-November, as the mayor warns the arrival of a potent new strain to the region is now ‘inevitable’.However Andy Burnham says he does not yet think the time is right for the conurbation to be placed into Tier 4 restrictions.He told this afternoon’s weekly press conference that infection rates here - which are up 1pc in the past week - are still ‘flatlining’ and argued the

direct to your inboxThe new highly transmissible strain of Covid-19 is not thought to have reached Greater Manchester yet, say the region's health leaders. A variant of the virus, which is said to be behind huge spikes in the south of England, is believed to have already reached parts of Cumbria.

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 inboxGreater Manchester’s political leaders have criticised the government’s decision to place the area under the strictest coronavirus rules – but Rochdale’s leader has welcomed the news.Trafford’s director for public health, Eleanor Roaf, said she doesn’t believe Greater Manchester is being ‘punished’.She said: “I think really, unfortunately, in Greater Manchester we happen to have a lot of things that put our population at greater risk – more people in lower paid work, more

direct to your inboxThe mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has slammed the government’s decision to keep the region under the toughest coronavirus restrictions.Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester this afternoon, he said: “The average for all of Greater Manchester is lower than Liverpool and London when they went into tier 2.“I don’t think they’ve got the balance right at all here, so I understand the frustration, but let’s not take it out on the NHS.“We’ve got to follow those rules and it

direct to your inboxGreater Manchester and Lancashire are staying in Tier 3 restrictions after a review of Covid rules across England.Matt Hancock announced in the House of Commons on Thursday morning that Bristol and North Somerset were coming out of Tier 3 into Tier 2 - but that every other part of England currently in Tier 3 was staying there.  He also announced a list of areas that would be moved up into Tier 3 including Surrey, Berkshire and Peterborough.

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 inbox The latest coronavirus infection rates for all individual areas of England has been revealed.