Hello, and welcome to the Live Blog, managed today by UCLan MA Journalism Students. We’ll be bringing you news from around the North-West on a day that the region and country continue to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic, and how the region is responding to it.
13:26 Keep your distance
Even Lancashire’s cats are social distancing
13:24 Need a job?
Lancs Police are recruiting, despite uncertainty around pretty much every area of daily life.
13:20 Another case of COVID-19 in the government
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock has tested positive and is self-isolating. His symptoms are said to be mild.
13:00 – Good Afternoon, I’m Tom McCooey and I’ll be with you until 2pm.
11:55 EuroMillions £1 million ticket bought in Lancashire remains unclaimed
A lighter story for you here – especially if you are the lucky winner!
11:47 Labour MP Angela Rayner reacts to Boris Johnson’s coronavirus diagnosis
11:35 Chorley A&E department is closing down
Medical staff are being transferred to Royal Preston Hospital to deal with the virus.
11:20 Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19
The PM is reportedly experiencing mild symptoms
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52060791
11:12 Dogs could be trained to detect Coronavirus
Specialist sniffer dogs are to be tested to see if they can detect coronavirus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52057543
11:06 Tesco sets limits for online shopping
The supermarket has set an 80-item maximum on orders online.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52051498
11:00 – I’m Will Rosebury – I’ll be taking over taking over the blog until midday!
10:45 Bin collection routine changes in Oldham
Bins will be collected once a week in Oldham from Monday, March 30, replacing the usual three weekly collections.
Only the grey bin waste will be collected on residents’ usual collection day. No other bins will be collected for the time being.
Temporarily, you can now put all of your waste materials – including food and recyclable materials – into your grey rubbish bin.
For more information visit:
10:34 Police officers now have the power to enforce lockdown rules
If people ignore coronavirus lockdown rules will be breaking the law and could be arrested or fined on the spot. This is to ensure people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel.
Check the link to know more about the new police powers.
10:30 EFL clubs ‘in talks’ over drastic changes to the transfer window during the coronavirus outbreak
EFL clubs have suggested a bumper seven-month transfer window to address the logistical issues caused by deferring the end of the season.
10:15 Food hubs will help Blackpool’s most vulnerable residents
Blackpool Council is setting up hubs across the town to deliver essential supplies to those in most need.
Staff and volunteers will deliver food parcels and medicines to people who are isolate themselves but have no friends or family support.
10:10 The Labour MP, Angela Rayner, is self-isolating as experiencing coronavirus symptoms
She urged everybody to remember to stay at home to save lives at this time.
10:08 Salford City Council has created a fundraiser to support Salford’s most vulnerable people through these difficult times.
Salford 4 Good is a route for people to donate to Salford’s emergency response to the coronavirus.
10:00 Chester Zoo to live stream a virtual visit
As you can’t come to the zoo right now, the zoo brings it to you!
Join the Chester Facebook page from 10am and enjoy a fantastic virtual tour.
9:50 Councils in England ‘asked to house all rough sleepers by the weekend’
The charity Crisis, which supports the homeless, told Sky the “unprecedented” move was made in a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to local authorities yesterday.
Hello, I’m Isabel Gui. I’ll be running the Live Blog from 10am to 11am.
