Frantic negotiation took place this weekend between Greater Manchester’s MPs, local government, and Number 10. While it appears Liverpool City Region’s fate is sealed, the North East and Greater Manchester hang in the balance as to which tier they will fall into. Guido has seen private data from one local authority in Greater Manchester, that some MPs believe is the key to keeping hospitality alive and saving jobs in the area. Official contact tracing data from Stockport NHS Foundation Trust shows that “Eating out/ exercise/ shopping/events” accounted for just 2.4% of transmission.

The information, provided by people who test positive when they are followed up by the contact tracing team, categorises where contacts occurred two days prior to symptoms starting. Around 84% of contacts shared a household with someone with a case in October, an increase from September. Household visitors and visits to friends’ houses account for a further 8% totalling 92% of all exposures taken together.

It stands to reason that certified ‘Covid-secure’ venues with enforced social distancing have lower transmission rates than within private households. Guido wonders why the Government isn’t making more of this data public…