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LEICESTER LOCKDOWN COULD BE JUST THE FIRST... BUT CITY UNCERTAIN THAT IT WILL WORK
DOUBTS have been raised about whether Leicester’s lockdown can work amid fears that other areas could also be hit with tougher restrictions. Leicester City Council said yesterday that it ‘hadn’t got all the information’ it needed from the government about the tougher measures announced on Monday. All residents in the lockdown area have been urged to stay at home, while ‘nonessential’ shops and most schools must shut. The restrictions come days before the rest of England prepares for pubs and restaurants to reopen.
But it was not until yesterday afternoon that city authorities were able to publish a full map showing the exact areas affected by the lockdown, which number several towns and villages surrounding Leicester. The public has been advised to avoid ‘non-essential’ travel in and out of the affected area, but there will be no roadblocks or legal measures to prevent people from doing so.
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the latest outbreak may not be contained if people are free to leave the city and go to other areas.
He told Metro: ‘Leicester’s local lockdown is worth trying but it’s questionable how effective it will be.
‘The government is not compelling people to stay put and the problem is we’ve never had anything like this before so we don’t know for sure if it will work.’
He pointed out that, unlike in China, which has had local lockdowns but in cities which are far more spread out,
from Leicester ‘it is quick and easy to travel to places like Birmingham’.
Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: ‘There is confusion about essential travel and what it means for people who travel to work outside the boundaries.’
Concern about Leicester residents travelling to neighbouring areas prompted Nottinghamshire Police to announce they will issue £100 fines to anyone who ‘does not want to be locked down and fancies a day out in Nottingham’. Other English cities could also follow Leicester’s example if there are similar local spikes in infections.
An analysis by The Daily Telegraph found 36 cities and counties have experienced an increase in Covid-19 cases this month, with the figures doubling in some regions.
In Doncaster, there were 32 new cases reported last week – a leap from just 11 the week before.