Tougher coronavirus restrictions affecting millions in Greater Manchester come into force
Millions more people will be under tougher coronavirus restrictions in the next 24 hours as the Government increased financial support for businesses and employees affected by the measures.
Greater Manchester joined the Liverpool City Region and Lancashire in England's highest tier of restrictions, Tier 3, at midnight.
Under the Tier 3 measures in Greater Manchester, pubs and bars will be closed, unless they are serving substantial meals, for a 28-day period, along with casinos, bingo halls and bookies.
The Job Support Scheme, which replaces the current furlough system from November 1, will be made more generous in an effort to persuade firms to keep staff in work.
There will also be grants of up to £2,100 a month available for firms in Tier 2 areas of England, aimed at helping hospitality and leisure venues which have seen takings plummet due to restrictions on households mixing.
The package could cost the Exchequer around £13 billion over six months.
It came as the Prime Minister acknowledged that the test and trace system, which he previously promised would be "world beating", needed to be improved.
He said turnaround times for tests needed to be faster, after it emerged that just one in seven people having a test at a centre get their result back in 24 hours.
The Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance also said problems with the system could be "diminishing the effectiveness" and there was "room for improvement".
A total of 101,494 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to October 14, according to the latest Test and Trace figures, the highest weekly figure since the system was launched in late May.
But just 59.6% of close contacts of people who tested positive were reached through the Test and Trace system, its worst performance yet.