Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has warned our region faces economic disaster without more government support amid fears a shutdown of the region's bars and restaurants is imminent.
His comments follow reports in The Times this morning suggesting the region is one of the places where new restrictions, including a complete ban on social meetings and a two week shutdown of the hospitality sector, could be announced this week if case numbers in the city continue to grow.
Yesterday, Liverpool's public health director Matt Ashton said the city was "in a very difficult situation", with the city's seven day average case rate standing at 252 cases per 100,000 people. Other boroughs in the region have also struggled to slow the spread of the virus, which is now leading to an increase in hospital admissions for the disease.
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Mr Ashton warned deaths were likely to rise as a result of the continued spread.
Metro Mayor Rotheram said he supported more restrictions to slow the spread of the disease but called on government to provide details of financial support for businesses to prevent a further wave of joblessness.
He said: "We have all seen the worrying rise in cases of Coronavirus across the country, so it is right that if the current restrictions are not proving to be enough, that the government considers every option available to protect people and stop the spread of the virus.
"However, if they are going to force another shutdown of the hospitality industry and a ban on all social gatherings, then they need to put in place proper financial support for councils and local public health teams, for business to prevent them from going under and to stop thousands of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own.
"To be effective, any announcement on further local restrictions or local lockdowns has to come with clear messaging and a package of measures to protect jobs and support the local economy, including a local furlough scheme, financial support for businesses and support for the self-employed - many of whom have not received any help at all since this crisis began."
Under the plans reported in The Times, the lockdown would be less extensive than that put in place earlier this year, with schools and shops staying open.
Asked about the plans on BBC Breakfast, care minister Helen Whateley said: “We don’t want to bring in more restrictions but of course we keep a constant eye on what’s going with the Covid rates and we have seen these upward trends in recent weeks. This is the moment in time we have an opportunity, we have a choice as a country to get this back down under control.”
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