20/04/2023

Latest news updates on the coronavirus crisis in Greater Manchester and across the UK

Holidaymakers are awaiting another announcement on travel restrictions as Greece and Portugal could be the next countries added to the UK quarantine list.
Ministers have seen mounting pressure to consider removing Greece from its travel corridor list for England amid reports of people returning from the country with coronavirus.
The Scottish Government announced earlier in the week that travellers would have to isolate for 14 days on their return, and Wales has asked arrivals from the island of Zante to quarantine.
Meanwhile, many tourists are purchasing new flights to get back to the UK from Portugal before Saturday amid rising case numbers so they can avoid the prospect of isolating.
The potential change for jetsetters comes after the government made a last-minute u-turn on taking Greater Manchester boroughs Trafford and Bolton out of current local lockdown restrictions on Wednesday.
Although the two boroughs were released at midnight, they were put back under at around lunchtime by Matt Hancock after numerous calls from council leaders to reverse the decision due to an alarming rise in cases.
Bolton has seen a 200 per cent spike in cases over the last few days that has seen it spike into a ‘red alert’ level. It now has the worst infection rate in Greater Manchester and the second worst in the whole of the country, with its rate at 59.1 cases per 100,000 people.
It is similar in Trafford, where rates have spiked to 37.1 cases per 100,000 people.
At this stage, just Wigan and Stockport follow rules in place for the rest of England, while tougher restrictions in Oldham remain.
Follow the latest updates throughout the day in our live blog below.