‘Household clusters’ but rates are down

OADBY and Wigston has dropped down the seven-day infection rate national rankings to 22nd place.

Last week, the borough had the second-highest rate in the country at 115 cases per 100,000 people. The rate now stands at 94.1 cases per 100,000 people.

Extra restrictions came into force in the area on Tuesday in a bid to drive down cases after they quadrupled in a week.

The government announced on Friday that, from Tuesday, households in Oadby and Wigston are restricted from mixing in homes or private gardens.

No explanation was given for the fall in cases in the area, which comes at a time when the figures are rising across the rest of the country.

However, it is thought it is too early for the local lockdown in Oadby and Wigston to have had an impact on the number of confirmed cases.

Leicestershire’s director of public health, Mike Sandys, told a meeting “half” of the area’s cases were “household clusters”.

“That’s higher than other districts. Generally, a third of cases are household clusters.”

He also admitted he was surprised Boris Johnson’s stricter curbs didn’t include household restrictions. “The question we see on social media is ‘What, I can get it in my Aunty Pat’s conservatory but not down the pub?’

“And the short answer is you can get it anywhere.

“But, if you’re looking at risk assessment in a Covid-secure environment where people are spaced out, it’s cleaned down and you’re in the open air, clearly there’s less of a risk than if you are in a house, with windows close.”