Wigan stays in Tier 3 of Covid-19 regulations

There had been hopes that the city-region, or at least parts of it, would be moved into Tier 2.

The Greater Manchester Covid-19 case rate is now lower than that for England as a whole and there have been considerable reductions over the last few weeks in Wigan.

However, health secretary Matt Hancock only allowed a couple of areas to move down tiers when he addressed the House of Commons on Thursday morning as well as saying large swathes of southern England were going into the highest tier.

The statement means the tiering system for the entire North West remains unchanged.

Mr Hancock told MPs: "We must be vigilant and keep this virus under control. These are always the most difficult months for people's health and the NHS.

"This is a time to act with caution. We are not making a change for the majority of people in Tier 3 today.

"It is vital everyone sticks at it and does the right thing. This can be a silent disease. One in three who has it has no symptoms but can still pass it on."

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham accused the Government of double standards over how different areas of the country are being treated.

Mr Burnham tweeted: "If you look at the figures below, it’s hard not to conclude: when cases rise in the North, the North goes under restrictions; when cases rise in London and the South East, everyone stays under restrictions."

He also posted on Twitter a document showing Greater Manchester had seen a 20 per cent drop in the seven-day incidence rate between November 27 and December 11.

The North West saw a reduction of 11 per cent, one of five regions in England where rates had gone down.

Mr Burnham had said before Mr Hancock spoke that there was a “clear case” for his region to go down to Tier 2.

But he said he feared ministers would “overcompensate” because of the decision to allow the Christmas easing of restrictions to go ahead despite warnings it will lead to a spike in infections and deaths.

Tier 3 means hospitality businesses must remain closed and can only offer takeaway services.

Mr Burnham said on Thursday morning that the Government had made a clear “mistake” over Christmas, in easing the law to allow three households to come together between December 23 and 27.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said among Greater Manchester hospitality firms there had been "very little local confidence the region would move to a lower tier given the changeability and volatility of Covid infection rates" but missing out on the Christmas period was still a massive blow.

The Department for Health and Social Care said tiering decisions were guided by case detection rates in all age groups, case detection rates in the over 60s, the rate at which cases are rising or falling in a given area, the number of positive cases detected as a percentage of tests taken, and local pressure on the NHS.

Consideration is also given to features of "human geography", such as travel patterns.

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