Policing of mask-wearing on trams in Manchester to be increased to help tackle emergence of Omicron variant

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has urged people to get their vaccines and booster shots and follow public health measures as he outlined how he wants the city-region to respond to the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Mr Burnham set out his position at one of his regular press conferences on Wednesday 1 December.

He said getting fully vaccinated and complying with the new rules to wear face coverings on public transport and in shops would help to ensure Manchester enjoys a more positive Christmas than last year.

He also said there was no need for people to start cancelling events or bookings, though insisted they would need to be sensible when out and about.

‘The booster programme is clearly working’

Mr Burnham said the case rates clearly show that the programme of booster vaccine doses is working.

Only two boroughs, Oldham and Manchester, saw increasing rates of positive Covid-19 cases among over-60s in the latest week, while the other eight also saw figures go down.

And GMCA data shows four in five over-70s have now received their booster dose.

Mr Burnham said: “The booster programme is clearly working and clearly protecting people. I would urge people to take up the opportunity as soon as they possibly can.

“I can imagine some people are double vaccinated and wondering if it is worth it. I look at the difference in case rates among the over-60s compared to the younger age groups and I think you have got your answer.

“It makes a difference and puts you in the best possible position with all the uncertainty of winter that lies ahead of us.”

Overall Mr Burnham said the latest Covid figures for Greater Manchester showed the region was in quite a positive position compared to the national picture, something which has not often been the case during the pandemic.

Ensuring face coverings are worn on public transport

Mr Burnham said that Metrolink figures suggest that since it was once again made mandatory face coverings have been worn by between 60% and 90% of tram passengers, with better statistics for some lines than others.

He said that before the regulation was brought back in the figure had fallen as low as 33%.

Mr Burnham said he had been concerned when the Government took away the requirement to wear masks on public transport that getting people to put them back on if it became necessary would be hard.

He said Metrolink and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have been discussing lifting compliance levels and passengers on public transport will be seeing a bigger presence, especially at weekends.

He said the approach will be first to encourage people to wear face coverings, then educate them about the benefits of doing so, and finally take enforcement action if needed.

Should people cancel hospitality bookings or events?

Mr Burnham said he had already become aware of concern in the hospitality sector about people cancelling events and bookings in the run-up to Christmas.

The issue made national headlines when prime minister Boris Johnson disagreed with Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, over socialising.

Mr Burnham said he did not want to see panic scrapping of plans during the festive season.

He said: “We don’t believe, given the current evidence, there’s a need for people to over-react.

“Of course, people should get in the habit of taking regular flow tests, but if the right measures are taken and people are careful there’s no reason to cancel events or bookings.

“We would encourage people not to do that, as long as they are taking necessary precautions.

“We want to ensure we help the hospitality industry recover after a very difficult 18 months. We don’t want to be in the position we were in last year with the industry struggling.

“This may change as we learn more about Omicron.”

Help for people self-isolating after testing positive

Throughout the pandemic Mr Burnham and other regional leaders and local government figures have criticised ministers for not having sufficient packages of financial support for people who need to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19.

Omicron has now put this issue back on the agenda and councils in Greater Manchester have requested the Government makes money available for this.

Mr Burnham said: “This is back to issues we were grappling with early this year and last year, but the call has come for adequate support to ensure people can self-isolate if they need to do so.”