Greater Manchester Will Be Under Tier 3 Lockdown
Greater Manchester will move to a “very high” CCP virus alert level from Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Tuesday. “Very high” is the highest level in England’s new three-tiered alert system. Pubs in Tier 3 areas have to close, and the mixing of households is banned. The decision to put Greater Manchester under Tier 3 lockdown was reached after a 10-day negotiation between the government and Greater Manchester leaders ended without an agreement earlier in the day. “Unfortunately, an agreement wasn’t reached. I do regret this. As I said last week, we would have a better chance of defeating the virus if we work together,” Johnson said at a press conference where he announced the decision. Greater Manchester will get an extra £22 million ($28.5 million) support. Johnson said the government…
OTTAWA鈥擯rocurement Minister Anita Anand says the first shipment of rapid tests for COVID-19 has arrived in Canada but their eventual destinations remain shrouded in mystery.
Canada signed a deal with Abbott Diagnostics to buy 7.9 million ID Now tests, which can produce results on the spot in under 15 minutes.
Anand says the first shipment of 100,000 tests is now in hand.
The tests are to be deployed to provincial governments but neither Anand’s office nor Health Canada will say which province will get them first, or how many will be shipped where.
Provinces like Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba are desperately trying to improve testing capacity as the second wave of COVID-19 continues to surge.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa has also received more than 800 million masks, gloves, gowns and face shields and that 20 million of them were sent to provinces this month.
Focus News: Feds Say 100,000 Rapid COVID 19 Tests Have Arrived, Being Distributed to Provinces
Brazilian President Endorses Trump for Reelection
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection, telling reporters after the signing of a U.S.-Brazil investment agreement that he hopes to attend Trump’s second inauguration, according to local reports. “I most certainly hope that, God willing, I will attend the inauguration of the president, who will soon be reelected in the United States,” Bolsonaro said, according to a staff translation of his statement from Portuguese, as cited by Diario de Pernambuco, a Brazilian news outlet. Bolsonaro added that he “doesn’t need to hide” his support for Trump, which he said came “from the heart.” The Brazilian president has often lauded Trump, calling him a political role model and drawing parallels between their conservative agendas. In July, Bolsonaro similarly said he hoped Trump wins his bid for…
