Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Will soaring rates put paid to Xmas plans?
Celebrations in balance as virus sweeps across district
Christmas celebrations across Canterbury hang in the balance as Covid-19 continues to sweep across the district. Boris Johnson is set to announce today that Kent - the worst-hit county in England - will remain under Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions. The decision will come as little surprise, with 349 Covid patients in east Kent’s hospitals alone and infection rates rising in all four corners of the county.
But while the Government has revealed it will not be scrapping its ‘Christmas bubble’ rules, it has warned people to “weigh up the risks of meeting loved ones”.
The festive relaxation of the restrictions will allow three households to mix in the five days between December 23 and December 27.
With rates rising across England - and particularly in Kent - critics say the measures will see cases and deaths soar in the new year. Labour leader Keir Starmer this week called for the rules to be reviewed, but he was knocked back by Boris Johnson yesterday. The Prime Minister did, however, urge people to avoid travelling to high-risk areas, of which Kent is undoubtedly one. Canterbury’s Labour MP, Rosie Duffield, says the relaxation of the rules needs to be re-evaluated.
“We have to think again about Christmas,” she told the Gazette.
“A lot of people I know are choosing not to mix with family and are writing Christmas off. People have got to weigh up, is it worth it? “When I talk to my friends on Zoom, we each wonder is it worth it?
“For some, this could be the last Christmas they see someone, but they could be asymptomatic. The whole thing is horrible.”
Ms Duffield stopped short of calling for the festive bubbles to be scrapped, urging people to use their common sense. “I don’t want to be the one to say that,” she said. “There are some tough choices to make. “I don’t know yet whether I’m going to see my parents. We talk about it every day. It’s up to the last minute we are going to make that decision. People have got to use their common sense.
“I just hope people can have as safe and healthy Christmas as possible and they get to see their family in some way and get through it.”
Ms Duffield spoke to the Gazette as new figures revealed Canterbury’s infection rate had risen 85% to 507 cases per 100,000 people. The national average on the same day - December 10 - was 184, with Kent as a whole recording a rate of 453. Pressure on local NHS services has also intensified, with 349 Covid patients in east Kent’s hospitals on Tuesday - up from 227 the week before. The Trust has now recorded 91 deaths in December, the fourth highest in England. A new, more infectious
strain of Covid is said to have been a factor in Kent’s rocketing rates.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said on Monday: “Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants. “We’ve currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant, predominantly in the south of England, although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas, and numbers are increasing rapidly.” The Times reported on Tuesday that the new strain originated in Kent. Government scientists say while this variant of Covid may be more infectious, it is unlikely to be more deadly or to respond in a different way to vaccines.
Ms Duffield says establish
ing why rates have spiked so much is “the million dollar question”.
“I find it hard to believe that the schools going back and rates rising so quickly was a coincidence,” she said. “Head teachers are very concerned about this. There is at least one year group in every school affected.
“I know it’s not students. The number of students testing positive is quite low compared with other groups. “We have people commuting to London who feel they can’t stop working. We have a lot of low-pay workers who can’t give up. I think that’s possibly the reason.
“The community has been brilliant trying to stick with social distancing. People aren’t going around partying.”
‘A lot of people I know are choosing not to mix with family and are writing Christmas off’