Image copyright
Reuters
Leicester has been on a stricter lock since June 29
The closure of the entire city in Leicester “was not warranted,” its mayor said, after new data showed that only certain areas had higher Covid-19 cases.
Sir Peter Soulsby said that about 10% of the city’s neighborhoods “have a higher transmission” of the virus.
He said the data should have been shared sooner so authorities can focus on “avoiding transmission there.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it “does not apologize” for trying to reverse infection rates.
Speaking at the BBC breakfast, the Leicester mayor said it had taken “weeks” to “finally get some useful data” from the government.
He said: “It is very clear when you look at the data, they are a couple of areas of the city that have higher than average transmission of the virus.
“Certainly, the way the city has been closed in its entirety, and even beyond its limits, is not justified.”
Sir Peter, who has frequently criticized the government’s approach to the Leicester blockade, said the data should have been shared “many, many weeks ago.”
He added: “We should have focused on those areas that prevent transmission there.”
Farmworkers in Herefordshire are asked to remain on the farm during a period of isolation.
As many as 200 workers on a farm in Herefordshire were reported to be told to self-isolate on Sunday after 73 people tested positive for Covid-19.
The farm blockade was cited as an example of “targeted action” rather than large regional blockades.
But speaking on BBC Radio Leicester, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England stated that “Leicester should be locked up at this time.”
Dr. Jonathan Van-Tam said the city was “quite atypical in terms of the rate of coronavirus infections.”
He said a Public Health England report released on Saturday showed there were 126 cases of coronavirus in Leicester for every 100,000 people.
It is significantly higher than other East Midlands cities like Derby, which is 9.3, and Nottingham at 5.4.
Dr. Van-Tam said that targeted action, like the one taken on the farm in Herefordshire, would not work in Leicester.
“What I understand about the farm is that the workers live on the farm residentially throughout the summer,” he said.
“It is very neat, and there is a single point source.
“What we have in Leicester is a situation where parts of Leicester, the transmission rate in the open community are very high.”
The strictest blocking restrictions in Leicester will be reviewed starting July 18.
Leicestershire County Council Leader Nick Rushton said he would speak to Health Secretary Matt Hancock later to ask him to remove some suburbs from the closure area if he continues past that date.
He said the number of cases in Thurmaston, Birstall and Glenfield was low and that residents were increasingly upset by being subject to stricter restrictions.
Image copyright
fake pictures
Leicester’s closure is slated to be reviewed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week.
The head of the government tracking and tracing program, Baroness Dido Harding, said: “It is encouraging to see that both the number of positive cases that are reported are decreasing, as well as the percentage of people that are being evaluated and who are also positive.
“The measures are really starting to make a difference, but it is too early to say whether it will have gone down enough in five days,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Assistance said: “Seeing that cases in Leicester were significantly higher than in other parts of the country, we do not apologize for working with Leicester leaders to take decisive action to reverse this trend and save lives. ”
“The government’s priority is to protect the public, which is why local partners in Leicester can access government data starting June 19, and we are working closely with them so that these necessary local restrictions can be removed as soon as possible ” “
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].
