Greater Manchester placed on RED ALERT as covid-19 cases rocket in all 10 boroughs at highest rate since April

GREATER Manchester has been placed on RED ALERT as coronavirus cases rocket in all ten boroughs.

Infections have surged to levels equal to or higher than what was seen in April, as Manchester records 100 positive cases for three days in a row.

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Even at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic and national lockdown, the highest number of cases registered in Manchester was 73, the reports.

Stockport and Trafford have now also recorded an infection rate of more than 50 cases per 100,000 people in the local population - for the first time since April.

Bury and Oldham's numbers are still on the rise, with infection rates of 119.9 and 127.8 respectively.

Bolton however, which has the title of worst infection rate in the UK, has largely stayed the same since last week.

Latest figures from Public Health England, covering the week to September 16, also show Rochdale has an infection rate of more than 100 for the first time.

It peaked in April at 70.6 - but is now at 103.4.

Greater Manchester as a county now has an infection rate of 102.34.

In April, the highest the figure reached was 75.5.

The latest data puts all ten boroughs in the red zone - where the infection rate tops 50 positive case per 100,000 people in the local population.

Being in the red zone is where Public Health England deems that intervention is required.

Figures from Greater Manchester show what appears to be the beginning of a second wave of coronavirus - however, hospitalisation rates are not currently increasing to what they were in April.

Meanwhile, on a national level, Britain may face on-off lockdowns for SIX MONTHS as the PM is set to announce a two-week "circuit breaker" to tackle the ongoing pandemic.

Another 4,422 cases of coronavirus were recorded in the UK today.

Department of Health numbers show that overall, 390,358 cases have been confirmed in the UK since the start of the pandemic.

A further 27 Covid related deaths were reported in Britain today, bringing the total to a gruesome 41, 759.

Boris Johnson could reportedly announce the new fortnight shutdown as early as Tuesday as the country heads towards a second wave of Covid-19.

And a government source has told The Sun Online the UK could face short, sharp lockdowns for the next six months until a vaccine is ready to tackle the killer respiratory disease.

Members of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) have suggested using the "circuit breaker" tactic repeatedly to quash waves of infections.

The looming two-week shutdown will see restaurants and leisure facilities closed while schools and offices stay open.

Another 2.3million people will be living under local lockdowns from Tuesday after curbs were announced for parts of Merseyside, Lancashire, West Yorkshire and the Midlands.

That means a total of 12.3million — or one in five of the population — will be living under some form of lockdown even before new nationwide restrictions are announced.