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Leeds, Middlesbrough, Corby, Kettering, and South Tyneside were added to the government’s coronavirus watch list after cases spiked.
Norfolk, Rossendale in Lancashire and Northampton will also become ‘most supportive areas’, meaning more residents will have access to testing, after seeing their own increases in COVID-19 infections, said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Some areas that were previously subject to local lockdown restrictions, including Leicester, parts of Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Lancashirewill see them relaxed next week, added a spokesperson.
The UK R rate is between 0.9 and 1.1
Newark and Sherwood, Slough and Wakefield will be removed from the watch list.
In Leeds, the coronavirus The case rate is now 32.4 per 100,000 residents, and city bosses blame young people for spreading the virus to different parts of the city.
The council said COVID-19 is “increasingly being detected in younger people between the ages of 18 and 34, with some concern about activities such as house parties and gatherings.”
Andrew Carter, a local councilman who heads the Conservative group, told Sky News that the change was “quite correct” as there has been a “smell of complacency.”
He complained that parts of the city “have run out of a lot of testing locally,” with a service center operating “well below capacity.”
It occurs when the growth rate of the virus increased slightly from -2% to 1% to -1% to 2% per day.
While the R number across the UK – the average number of people to whom someone with COVID-19 transmits it – stayed the same between 0.9 and 1.1.
The list of “areas of concern” is released every Friday and reveals how the coronavirus is spreading broken down by region.
Last week, Bury was one of the places where the cases increased notably – up to 31.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
But many other areas already facing tighter restrictions saw cases decline, including Pendle, Oldham, Blackburn with Darwen, Manchester, Rochdale and Salford, although they remained at a high level relative to other parts of the country.
That led the government to initially say it would ease stricter measures at Bolton and Trafford.
But after the calls from the town halls, the ministers changed direction and kept the same rules.
The relaxation of measures starting at midnight on Tuesday, September 8 will include:
- Swimming pools, gyms and indoor sports facilities will be allowed to reopen in Leicester, the remaining parts of Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford.
- Casinos, ice skating rinks, bowling alleys, exhibition halls, conference centers and indoor gaming areas will be allowed to reopen in Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, in addition to Bolton.
- Socially distanced indoor performances will be allowed in the above areas and restrictions on close-contact hair and beauty services will be lifted.
- All current restrictions will remain in place at Bolton as the case numbers are not low enough to warrant relaxation measures.
In most areas of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire, restrictions on mixing different homes indoors will remain.
The next review of the indoor meetings in Leicester will take place on September 11.
Analysis: Is the glass half empty or half full?
By Rowland Manthorpe, Technology Correspondent
At the height of the pandemic, the government made a concerted effort to educate the public about the importance of the R number. When it stays below 1, we were told everything is fine.
So is today’s news that England’s R has stayed between 0.9 and 1.1 for the third week in a row cause for celebration?
In truth, it is difficult to say.
With a range like that, it could go up, down, or stay steady so it depends a lot on your perspective.
For guys with a glass half full, it’s comforting. For those who see a glass half empty, it is disappointing.
The reality is that, with a low prevalence, the R number is a weak guide to the status of the outbreak.
Review the SAGE minutes and you will see government scientific advisers make this point repeatedly.
A senior scientist admitted that by encouraging people to focus on him, “we have created a monster.”
It may be a bit boring, but we should react to today’s news in England the same way we reacted to yesterday’s rise in Scotland: by not reading too much.
