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Rapid testing could see Manchester’s nightclubs and theatres reopen

‘It’s a positive step forward for all involved in the sector’

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Boris Johnson has suggested that the use of rapid testing is the ‘route forward’ for reopening nightclubs and theatres.

Speaking at the Downing Street conference on Monday, prime minister Boris Johnson said the use  of lateral flow tests could be the ‘route forward’ to reopen those business that have been ‘the toughest nuts to crack’. 

Since the first lockdown was introduced in March last year, nightclubs have remained closed while theatres opened briefly with reduced capacity in summer. 

When asked about the prospect of ‘vaccine passports’ being used to demonstrate whether a person has had the jab, the prime minister explained that international travel would likely require proof of vaccination. 

However, he suggested the use of testing would be a likelier option within the UK.

Mr Johnson said: “Some countries, clearly, are going to be wanting to insist that people coming to their country have evidence of a vaccination – just as people have insisted in the past that you have evidence you are vaccinated against Yellow Fever or other diseases.

“For the purposes of this country and doing things within the domestic UK economy, we will look at everything.

“But what we are thinking of at the moment is more of a route that relies on mass vaccination – we intend to vaccinate all of the adults in the country by the autumn – plus lateral flow testing, rapid testing for those bits that have been the toughest nuts to crack.

“Such as nightclubs or theatres – those parts of the economy we couldn’t get open last year.

“I think that will be the route that we go down and that businesses will go down. You are already seeing lots of business using the potential of rapid, on-the-day testing as well.

“I think that, in combination with vaccination, will probably be the route forward.”

Manchester’s Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord has now responded to the news. 

He said: “The night time and live music industry has been discussing the need for on-site rapid testing for over five months, and we have suggested this on multiple occasions to MPs and during Select Committee hearings.

“I’m pleased the Prime Minister picked up on this suggestion today. It’s a positive step forward for all involved in the sector. We now need to keep momentum and implement these ideas as fast as possible. My fear is that they take another five months to get moving, which the industry simply doesn’t have.

“The sector has been shattered over the past eleven months, and to echo the PM, the damage any further delay will have on the UK’s cultural sector will be irreversible.”

In the conference, the prime minister warned that it is still ‘early days’ in easing lockdown measures and ‘there are lots of discussions to be had’. 

Last week, the government’s chief scientific adviser described lateral flow tests as a ‘really important part of our toolkit’. It is reported the government has spent more than £1bn on lateral flow tests.

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Train fares set to increase again in ‘biggest hike’ for a decade

Bad news for commuters…

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Commuters could be facing the steepest rise in the cost of train travel in more than a decade just months after prices were already increased.

It has been predicted today that train prices across England and Wales could rise by nearly 5% before the New Year.

The 2021 rise in prices was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic when train travel was at an all-time low, however, tickets still saw a price rise of 2.6% in March.

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And this morning, the Retail Prices Index for July 2021 was confirmed as 3.8% by the Office for National Statistics, meaning passengers could see fares rise by 4.8% in 2022, which would be the largest hike since 2012.  

This means that the cost of rail travel could increase twice within ten months, and would see a Manchester-Glasgow off-peak return rise by £6.30 to £94.90, according to Metro.

Though all hope isn’t yet gone – changes to the fares in 2022 are still yet to be confirmed.

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A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “No decision has been made on national rail fares.

“The government is considering a variety of options and we will announce our decision in due course.”

This news has come as train travel in Manchester and beyond is on the rise – earlier this month, we reported that zero cases of Covid were found in Manchester Piccadilly Train Station, despite thousands of commuters using the station’s services as offices reopen.

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Comedian Sean Lock has died aged 58

Awful news just in

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Channel 4

Comedian Sean Lock has passed away at the age of fifty-eight after a battle with cancer, his agent has confirmed today.

A statement from his agent from Off The Kerb Productions said: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Sean Lock. He died at home from cancer, surrounded by his family.

“Sean was one of Britain’s finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work, marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy.

“Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children. Sean will be sorely missed by all that knew him. We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children is respected at this difficult time.”

Fellow comedians have been posting their own tribute messages since the news was announced. Ricky Gervais wrote: “Such sad news. RIP the great Sean Lock. One of the funniest, most influential comedians of a generation. A lovely man.”

John Bishop posted: “I am shocked and saddened at the news of the loss of Sean Lock. He was a brilliant comedian but more importantly he was a great person on so many levels . He will be missed hugely.”

Sean was best known for his role on Channel 4’s comedy panel show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, where he was panel captain. He appeared on the first eighteen series, opposite team captains including Jason Manford and Jon Richardson.

He also appeared on QI, The Last Leg, Have I Got News for You, and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.

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UK to welcome more than 20,000 refugees following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan

Reports claim that a number of these refugees will be housed in hotels near Manchester Airport

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Jan Chipcase / Wikimedia Commons

The UK is set to welcome more than 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that 5,000 people will be eligible to be resettled in Britain during the first year of the program, with women and girls given priority status, with the rest to be admitted in the ‘long term’.

Those deemed to be at the highest risk of human rights abuses and dehumanising treatment by the Taliban will also be given priority for settlement. 

The Prime Minister, who will address MPs today on the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, said: “We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the last twenty years.

“Many of them, particularly women, are now in urgent need of our help. I am proud that the UK has been able to put in place this route to help them and their families live safely in the UK.”

Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese added that planes carrying people from Afghanistan are expected to land here in Manchester ‘at any moment.’

He said: “They’re on their way. We’re expecting planes to be landing at any moment. We’re certainly not going to turn our back on those people.

“But what we are going to do is to continue to make the case that actually, if we’re really a caring country, we need to make sure we put the proper resources and systems in to be able to support these people very quickly, get them out of hotels and get them into homes.

“We’re definitely not going to be refusing to take people, but we will continue to make the case for proper support.”

Following the departure of American troops on Sunday, the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul, almost two decades after they were initially defeated by the US. The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, abandoning the presidential palace to Taliban fighters.

Under the Taliban’s rule, Sharia Law, women and girls are stripped of most basic human rights, including the right to have an education, work, and leave the house without a male relative. While the Taliban have promised to take a more modern approach to their ruling, concern for the safety and wellbeing of Afghan women and girls is still rife.

For more information on how you can help the refugees fleeing Afghanistan, visit the following links:

British Red Cross
UNICEF
AllWeCan.org
United Nation Refugee Agency 
Refugee Council

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