Greater Manchester and Lancashire are to learn within hours whether they are to be reclassified into the most severe local lockdown tier.
An emergency 'gold summit' meeting is expected to take place on Wednesday after a major rise in coronavirus cases. If the two areas are moved up, around 3,100 pubs and 475 gyms could be ordered to completely close for at least a month, devastating tens of thousands of livelihoods.
The Tier 3 local lockdown sees banning household mixing indoors and closing pubs unless they can operate as restaurants. But it could also see leisure centres, gyms, betting shops and casinos closed in extra bespoke restrictions, as is the case in Liverpool and its surrounding areas.
Read more on mirror.co.uk