LANCASHIRE
read the grim findings. The PM also came under fire for making a joke about the Labour leader “having more briefs than Calvin Klein” in response to demands for a message to the bereaved Covid families group.
Mr Starmer’s spokesman said the jibe “tells you everything you need to know about the Prime Minister’s flippant approach to this crisis and his style of leadership”.
The clash came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed facemasks will have to be worn “for the foreseeable future” after the Mirror revealed they would be required into next year.
The Government’s public messaging has been confused, with top ministers taking conflicting approaches to mask-wearing. No10 contradicted
Mr Hancock after he defended Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove for failing to wear a mask in Pret A Manger on Tuesday.
Mr Hancock said coverings must be worn in shops in England from July 24 – but No10 said takeaway purchases would be exempt.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak was seen wearing a mask in the same branch of the sandwich chain yesterday.
Mr Johnson will tomorrow set out plans to get millions of workers in England safely back to work.
His “roadmap”, to include details on using public transport, will come amid top-level concerns over ongoing damage to the economy.
COVID FAMILIES ON MR JOHNSON’S COMMITMENT
BIG families living in terraced houses are at the centre of new coronavirus outbreaks sweeping Lancashire.
People in Blackburn, Darwen and Pendle have been advised to wear facemasks indoors to help prevent local lockdowns being imposed.
In the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, families can be visited by a maximum of two people from one other household and residents have been told to wear face coverings in enclosed public spaces.
The rate of infection rose from 31.6 to 47 per 100,000 in a week, with ethnic minorities worst hit.
Director of public health Prof Dominic Harrison said: “We are appealing to everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to follow [the steps] to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“If we don’t, a local lockdown, like in Leicester, becomes a very real possibility.”
He said 85% of 114 confirmed recent cases involved people from South Asian backgrounds living in high-occupancy homes.
Blackburn councillor Saima Afzal warned against stigmatising those affected, saying: “It’s the housing.”
Figures from the last census show 25% of the borough’s Bangladeshi households have too few rooms, compared to 5% of white households. More measures will be introduced if cases do not fall by July 27. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “On Blackburn, I think the council are doing a fantastic job.” It comes as the Government is set to decide tomorrow whether to end Leicester’s lockdown or extend it for a further two weeks.
Its rate rose from 115 per 100,000 people to 118 in the week to Saturday. But this is down from 152.2 in the seven days to June 27. The city’s mayor has demanded the lockdown be replaced by public health messaging in the worst-hit areas.
Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We are not saying there has not been a problem but we now know very specifically where it has been. It has been in 10% of the city – not across all of it.
“The greatest number of positive tests are in areas of dense housing with multi-generational households and high levels of deprivation. “Had we had this granular information six weeks ago we could have targeted the area.” Pendle residents have also been advised to “limit large gatherings” as it recorded the second worst rate of cases at 76.6 per 100,000.
Cases in Blackburn with Darwen affecting people of South Asian heritage
PRAISE Matt Hancock
PM’s vague promise is a long way from what is actually needed now