Leeds warned it could be plunged back into local lockdown as coronavirus cases TREBLE in a week
LEEDS has been warned it could face fresh lockdown measures after cases trebled in a week. The city’s seven day rate has increased from 4.1 cases per 100,000 people early last week to 13.3 yesterday. It comes after tougher restrictions were reintroduced for around five million people living in East Lancashire, Greater Manchester and parts […]
LEEDS has been warned it could face fresh lockdown measures after cases trebled in a week.
The city’s seven day rate has increased from 4.1 cases per 100,000 people early last week to 13.3 yesterday.
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It comes after tougher restrictions were reintroduced for around five million people living in East Lancashire, Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire after a Covid-19 spike.
Leeds City Council has urged residents to follow social distancing rules and warned that new lockdown measures could come into force in days if cases continue to rise.
“Measures will be continually monitored over the coming days and further steps may need to be considered in light of new data and information,” a statement said.
Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council and chair of the Leeds Outbreak Control Board, urged residents to not let their guard down.
She said: “There has been some excellent work across Leeds these past few months which, together with a tremendous sense of community spirit, has ensured we have stayed ahead of the virus.
“With some restrictions now being relaxed, it’s more important than ever that we keep doing everything we can collectively and individually to take care of ourselves, our communities and our city.
“Our outbreak planning has meant we’ve been able to identify these clusters early and intervene quickly, so it’s our hope that by working closely with people living in these areas, we can manage and contain these cases and prevent a wider outbreak.
“But we can’t do that alone and it’s absolutely imperative that residents play their part.”
Thousands of Leeds United supporters celebrated their side’s Championship title at the end of July.
The plea to Leeds residents comes after a public health official said yesterday that Preston could face increased lockdown measures within days after coronavirus cases there doubled in a week.
With 35 cases per 100,000 people, Preston has a coronavirus rate that is higher than some of the areas where people are now banned from socialising with others at home.
Preston recorded 49 new cases of coronavirus in the week to July 31, compared with 22 the previous week.
Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health for Lancashire, said he expected the government to impose restrictions “in the next few days”, telling BBC Radio Lancashire: “That is my personal and professional opinion given the statistics, the direction of travel and given the size of the issue.”
A nightclub in Preston was criticised for reopening on Saturday night with footage showing people singing and partying.
Preston City Council chief executive Adrian Phillips said today: “We know our rates are increasing and they have increased over the last week to a level now where we are concerned that we could face Government intervention.”
Tougher lockdown restrictions were reintroduced in Greater Manchester and other parts of northern England on July 31, following an upsurge in Covid-19 cases.
Anyone found flouting the rules could be fined £100 up to a maximum of £3,200 for repeat offences.
The restrictions must be reviewed every fortnight. As such, the next review will take place on August 19.
But they could be in place for up to six months if not scrapped by the Government first.
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Similar restrictions also apply to Leicester which saw the first local lockdown on June 29.
At that point, the seven-day infection rate in Leicester was 135 cases per 100,000 people.