Andy Burnham speaks to the media during a press conference in Manchester
Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
Millions of people across the UK were placed under tougher coronavirus restrictions this week, as a string of communities were moved into Tiers 2 and 3 of the government’s new ‘traffic light’ lockdown system.
As local lockdowns loomed, a row erupted on Monday between the government and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who accused Boris Johnson of “playing poker with people’s lives” as talks over a support package for the city collapsed.
Johnson later confirmed that a £60m offer – £5m shy of Burnham’s request – was still on the table and would be distributed to local authorities in the region.
To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest developments in the pandemic, and other global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week:
Need a reminder of some of the other headlines over the past seven days?
On the other side of the Irish Sea, the Republic of Ireland reinstated a national lockdown for a period of six weeks, following a recommendation from the country’s Public Health Emergency Team.
By contrast, Swedish officials said their government would resist draconian lockdown measures to combat the second wave of Covid-19 infections sweeping across Europe, instead providing “strong recommendations” for local “voluntary” lockdowns.
As the US also struggles to get to grips with the virus while preparing for the upcoming presidential election, reports have emerged that a laptop purported to belong to presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son was subpoenaed last year as part of an FBI money-laundering investigation. Damning allegations about the laptop’s contents that were first published in the New York Post last week have been dismissed by the Democratic candidate as a “last-ditch” smear effort.
