Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has announced that his brother has died after contracting Covid-19.

On Friday evening, Anderson urged people to follow the rules to prevent the spread of the virus as he revealed his eldest brother was in a “very serious condition” in hospital in the city.

In a tweet on Saturday, he wrote: “Despite the efforts of all the staff at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 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.” 

Liverpool has been in tier 3 since Wednesday, with residents living under the strictest lockdown conditions in the country amid a second wave of Covid-19. 

Under the tier 3, or “very high”, category, people from different households are not allowed to mix, pubs and bars not serving meals must close, and residents are told not to travel outside the area.

Anderson condemned a decision taken on Friday for gyms in Lancashire – which is also in tier 3 – to remain open while facilities in Liverpool had been forced to close, branding the rules “an inconsistent mess”. 

He 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”.

In a joint statement, Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram and leaders of the six boroughs said: “We simply will not accept our region being treated differently to other tier 3 areas, without robust scientific evidence.

“These inconsistencies in restrictions between areas within the same tier risk undermining the new system from the beginning.

“So today we are once again demanding that government urgently supplies us with the scientific evidence behind their decision to close gyms in our area, while allowing them to stay open in other areas.”