Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Jon Robinson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson preparing "roadmap" to ease Covid restrictions in the North West

The Prime Minister is set to outline his "roadmap" for easing Covid restrictions in England later today.

Boris Johnson spent the weekend finalising his plans for opening up the economy ahead of the announcement.

The "roadmap" comes after Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram called on Mr Johnson not to return the country to the tier system as the Covid-19 lockdown comes to an end.

In a letter to the PM, the mayor has called on Mr Johnson 'not to throw away all of the progress made by peoples’ sacrifice and hard work during the latest lockdown and vaccine rollout'.

UnitedCity, the private sector campaigning and research group set up by business leaders in Greater Manchester, has also called on the Government to "bring a sense of confidence, clarity and clam" to the announcement.

In a statement, it added: "Placing the country back into the unclear and ineffective tiering system would be a step backwards, and could potentially spark panic and further fatigue.

"People now need to see and feel a light at the end of the tunnel, as we approach nearly 12 months of the pandemic disrupting our lives and livelihoods.

"We would suggest that the Government work with businesses on a Covid-secure plan to reopen the economy with world-class mass-testing and track and trace systems, supporting the incredible vaccination effort already rolled out across the country.

"The progress made recently with the vaccination programme has given a hopeful outlook for the coming months, and it is now up to the Government to use this momentum and optimism as a springboard to recovery – providing a clear and definitive roadmap for reopening on February 22, including opening hospitality and returning to the workplace in a safe and controlled way."

The Prime Minister is also expected to unveil new data which suggests that vaccines have cut transmission rates.

The announcement comes after several parts of Manchester have been the focus of increased testing after new strains of Covid-19 were detected in a number of communities.

The city has spent one of the longest number of weeks in the toughest Covid restrictions since the pandemic began.

Manchester, Liverpool and parts of Lancashire were also some of the first regions to be placed into the first local tier system in 2020.

The PM is expected to provide further detail later today on when pubs, restaurants, shops and the tourism industry can start to reopen.

The prime minister has said his top priority will be the re-opening of schools.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.