Concern on funfair plans as infection rates fail to fall
KIRKLEES Council is facing a Covid infection battle after the latest official figures put it top out of 149 upper tier local authorities.
The news comes as worried residents prepare for thousands of people to attend a funfair at Ravensknowle Park, in Huddersfield, which is set to attract crowds given the good weather that is predicted for this weekend.
The number of confirmed Kirklees cases has hit 33,979 with 304 cases in the last week.
The weekly rate per 100,000 people is 69.12 and has increased by 11.8 per cent since last week.
Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman said: “This is alarming news and at the most recent Outbreak meeting [where MPs from Kirklees meet with the council’s chief executive and leader] I warned that we must not become complacent.
“We must reach out to people who have not been vaccinated. This is a wake-up call. This is not good news.
“The Outbreak meeting to discuss the Covid situation was postponed last night but I shall be contacting Jacqui Gedman, the chief executive immediately to ask for an emergency meeting to take place.
“As for this event at Ravensknowle Park I think perhaps the council needs to look at that again in the light of these developments.”
Kirklees councillor Bernard McGuin, (Con, Almondbury), said: “I am slightly surprised because I thought we were doing OK but obviously not.
“I don’t know what the problem is but I have noticed that some pubs are not obeying the rules and people have got rather lax in observing them. I think we have got a bit slack.”
Kirklees Council’s strategic director of public health, Rachel Spencer-Henshall, said: “Rates of infection have been reducing in Kirklees over recent months. But we can’t ignore our position in the league table and the threat the virus continues to pose.
“We need to bring our infection rate down further, particularly with more restrictions now eased and people more likely to come into contact with different households.
“We’ve seen stubbornly high rates of infection across West Yorkshire for long parts of the pandemic.”
She added: “It means that we have to work together even harder to reduce infection rates and understand that there’s no room for complacency.
“Over 270,000 vaccinations have now been administered in Kirklees and the programme is successfully bringing down the number of people needing hospital treatment. Thankfully, the number of people dying as a result of Covid is now at a very low rate.
“But we need to face the fact that we haven’t beaten the virus yet.
“Everyone can play their part in bringing rates down even further by following the public health advice to keep social distancing, wear a mask and meet outdoors wherever possible and only in small groups.
“I’m also urging everyone over the age of 42 in Kirklees to book their vaccination today. It’s the most effective way you can reduce infections and keep them down for the long term.”