Coronavirus: Liverpool mayor’s brother dies of Covid

Liverpool has one of highest infection rates in country

The mayor of Liverpool’s brother has died with coronavirus, a day after being admitted into intensive care.  

Joe Anderson said on Friday that his brother was in a “very serious condition” and urged the city’s residents to follow current guidelines.  

Liverpool, which has one of the highest infection rates in the country, is under “very high” tier 3 restrictions.  

“Despite the efforts of all the staff @LivHospitals ICU my brother sadly died at 10.45 last night,” Mr Anderson tweeted on Saturday.  

“We want to thank the dedicated staff risking their lives for us. Thank you all for your messages of love and support.”

He signed off with: “Let’s stick together and support each other and win this battle.”

This comes five weeks after Anderson’s older brother Henry died of cancer.

Last night, the mayor urged residents of Liverpool to abide by coronavirus restrictions after he revealed his eldest brother had fallen ill. 

“10 mins ago my sister-in-law a Nursing Sister has told me my eldest brother her husband has got Covid-19 he is in the Royal LivHospitals in the ICU in a very serious condition,” he tweeted on Friday evening.

Mr Anderson highlighted a video filmed inside an ICU unit at Royal Liverpool University Hospital which featured a plea from critical care consultant Dr Richard Wenstone. 

Dr Wenstone warned: “We’re under a lot of pressure every day now. My biggest worry is we’ve not seen the peak of the second surge yet.”

Mr Anderson wrote: “Please watch the video, follow the rules and understand why we all need to fight the enemy Covid.”

Liverpool has the third highest rate in the country, according to Public Health England figures, which showed 3,389 new cases in the week to 12 October. 

As the government implements the new three-tier system, Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Sefton, Knowsley and Halton were the only parts of England that were initially moved into the “very high” Covid alert level. 

Mr Anderson had joined the calls among local leaders for a “circuit-breaker” style lockdown and branded the tier system a “shambles."

Speaking last week on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Anderson said: “The main point of the imposition of the measures is clearly that: imposition.”

He added: “We have not be consulted.”

Liverpool regional leaders claim they were given no choice on the package of measures issued by Mr Johnson while the government claim they consulted local leaders about the restrictions.