At this afternoon's remote press conference by Greater Manchester Leaders, the seven day rate of positive tests per 100,000 population was published showing that the rate in Salford has fallen from 37.5 in the week ending 15th August, to 25.9 in the week ending 22nd August.
Despite this reduction, however, Greater Manchester Leaders are only calling on the Government to release Bolton and Stockport from tight restrictions on household gatherings imposed at the end of July, along with Wigan which was released after last week's call.
The rates in eight of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs have fallen (with the exception of small rises in Bury and Wigan), and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said this was proof that the added restrictions have had an effect...
"Overall the picture is an encouraging one" he explained "...I think we can say with some confidence that the restrictions worked, that it was right to support the Government when they came to us asking to introduce these restrictions and we believe that that, combined with the efforts on the ground, have given us an improved position that we see today. But there's no complacency and we would accept that the numbers remain high, particularly in Oldham and Manchester and elsewhere."
All ten boroughs, he added, are also in the 'green zone' for positivity tests. Nevertheless, the Leaders are asking the Government now to keep the household gathering restrictions in place with a review in a further two weeks.
They are, however, also calling on the Government to let businesses like beauty parlours, ice rinks and casinos open in all boroughs, as evidence suggests it's household transmissions that are responsible for most cases.
The Salford Star asked Andy Burnham...You're asking people in Salford to keep to these restrictions for another two weeks - what would be your message to them, particularly those with restriction fatigue, given that Bolton is on the border with the city?
"It is tough" he responded "I'm the first to recognise that. It is hard to ask people to have to make changes to the way they would want to be living their life...The measures that are in place are restrictions on social gatherings in the home. Now we do need to keep that in proportion.
"Of course, ordinarily we wouldn't want there to any such restrictions but the number of cases in Salford are still on the high end of where we would want to be" he explained "That's my message to people; that level of virus circulating in communities poses a risk and therefore we need to manage that and protect people. That's the message.
"This is about your health, your son and daughter's health, your mum and dad's health, your grandparents' health" he added "It's about everyone's health and until we are all of us happy that the level of risk has been reduced, we are going to say to people that we think it's right to maintain these restrictions, as difficult as that is.
"But, conversely, where we see the change in a particular borough, as we've seen in Bolton, then not maintaining those restrictions longer than they're needed - because that also wouldn't be right and it would further create the problem with that fatigue" he concluded "So we're trying our best to find a way through this. We know there will be no perfect way through it but we hope people will see the path that we're following and will come with us."
For further details on the press conference ...click here
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