Mr Anderson issued a statement last nigth urging people to follow the city’s strict coronavirus lockdown rules to prevent the spread of the virus after the area was placed in Tier 3 and revealed his eldest brother was in a “very serious condition” in hospital. But today the mayor announced his brother had lost his battle with COVID-19.
He said: Despite the efforts of all the staff in ICU my brother sadly died at 10.45pm last night.
“We want to thank the dedicated staff risking their lives for us.
“Thank you all for your messages of love and support. Let’s stick together and support each other and win this battle.”
Mr Anderson had tweeted a video shared by the Liverpool City Council Twitter account that featured Dr Richard Wenstone making a plea for people to follow coronavirus rules to ease pressure on the NHS.
Mr Anderson wrote: “Please watch the video, follow the rules and understand why we all need to fight the enemy #Covid.”
He urged citizens to stick to the lockdown rules despite branding the situation on Merseyside and neighbouring Lancashire a “shambles”.
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He joined Liverpool City Region leaders to speak out against the tier system of coronavirus regulations after gyms across Lancashire were told they could stay open.
Gyms and leisure centres in Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Sefton, Knowsley and Halton were ordered to close from Wednesday as the area was placed in Tier 3.
And gym owner Nicholas Whitcombe was fined £1,000 when he refused to close Body Tech Fitness in Moreton, Wirral, on Wednesday.
But Tier 3 measures for Lancashire announced yesterday did not include the closure of gyms.
Liverpool City Region leaders said they were given no choice on the package of measures but a Government spokesman said the interventions were a result of consultation with local authorities.
Mr Anderson tweeted: “Liverpool City Region has demanded immediate clarification on why Lancashire gyms are allowed to stay open and Liverpool’s close.
“Inconsistent mess, we now have Tier 3 A and Tier 3 B.”
He ended his tweet with “#shambles”.
