Trafford has the lowest infection rate of any Tier 3 area in England, data has shown.
The borough, along with the whole of Greater Manchester, was given Tier 3 status when the country came out of lockdown on December 2nd.
Since then, however, the infection rate across the region has fallen sharply to the extent that most of the region is now below the national average.
Many have also questioned why London is in Tier 2, despite rates rising across the capital and most boroughs having a higher rate than Trafford.
And a new table – collated by The Times – has shown that Trafford, with a rate of 96.1, now has the lowest infection of all 27 areas across England with a lower rate than London.
The system is due to be renewed a week today, and both Trafford Council leader Andrew Western and Altrincham and Sale West MP Sir Graham Brady are backing calls for Trafford to be moved down into Tier 2, thereby letting the hospitality industry reopen their doors to sitting customers.
Here’s the table of all Tier 3 areas with a lower infection rate than Tier 2 London:
| Area | Rate | Seven-day change | |
| London | 169.2 | 8.8% | |
| 1 | Stockton-on-Tees | 167.7 | -32.9% |
| 2 | Northumberland | 165.6 | -12.6% |
| 3 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 160.6 | -25.4% |
| 4 | Barnsley | 158.8 | -25.6% |
| 5 | Nottingham | 155.3 | -7.7% |
| 6 | Sunderland | 155.2 | -26.1% |
| 7 | Sheffield | 154.1 | -18.8% |
| 8 | Nottinghamshire | 152.7 | -12.5% |
| 9 | Solihull | 152.5 | -22.2% |
| 10 | Leeds | 152.1 | -24.5% |
| 11 | Co Durham | 147.7 | -30.8% |
| 12 | Leicestershire | 140.8 | -27.7% |
| 13 | Bristol | 140.5 | -33% |
| 14 | Salford | 138.7 | -21.8% |
| 15 | Derby | 137.2 | -35.5% |
| 16 | South Gloucestershire | 136.8 | -19.1% |
| 17 | Blackpool | 136.3 | -20.2% |
| 18 | Newcastle | 136.1 | -37.2% |
| 19 | Tameside | 136 | -24% |
| 20 | Coventry | 134.3 | -30.6% |
| 21 | Redcar and Cleveland | 126.9 | -34.6% |
| 22 | North Somerset | 126.5 | -31.1% |
| 23 | Derbyshire | 120.5 | -29.7% |
| 24 | Stockport | 116.9 | -31% |
| 25 | Gateshead | 115.8 | -42.8% |
| 26 | Warwickshire | 114.2 | -32.2% |
| 27 | Trafford | 96.1 | -24% |
When announcing the tier system last month, the government said it considered five factors in deciding which tier an area should be placed under: coronavirus case numbers across all age groups – particularly among the over 60s; whether case rates are rising or falling; the percentage of positive tests in the general population; the pressure on the local NHS; and exceptional circumstances such as a local but contained outbreak.
