In the weekly GMCA press conference last week (July 31), Andy Burnham said that the suspension of this support for local councils is a significant issue.
The policy was suspended across England on Saturday, which means the end of government support for councils to provide the additional help to people who are shielding.
Mr Burnham said: "We believe the confirmation that the shielding policy is beingg suspended will cause certainly uncertainty for people in that position, but it also sends mixed messages to people in Greater Manchester.
"On the one hand they're hearing that new restrictions are being imposed, on the other, they're hearing that some of the support they've been receiving to stay at home and do all the right things is being withdrawn and we think that's a mixed message.
"Therefore, we're calling on the government to extend the shielding arrangements in the areas that are subject to these new restrictions and perhaps areas where there already are restrictions in place such as Leicester and Luton.
"We believe the extension of the shielding arrangements in these areas should be maintained until the restrtictions are lifted.
"We further say that our councils should be given additional financial support to provide help to the shielding population in this period.
"This is a very important request that we make of the government and we would be grateful for their constructive response."
