Town is worst hit in England
MANSFIELD people have been urged to stay cautious when visiting shops, bars and pubs after figures showed the area has the highest infection rate in England.
A large portion of the town’s economy reopened its doors for the first time on Monday as part of the latest phase of the lockdown roadmap.
The high street was swamped and beer gardens completely booked up.
But the town has been warned it is “not out of the woods yet”, with Covid infections still on the rise.
Figures for the week ending April 8, the latest available period for infection rates, shows Mansfield has 104.3 cases per 100,000 people – the highest of any local authority area in England – with 114 new cases recorded in the seven-day window, up by 14 percent from the previous week.
It is also almost four times the England average of 28.1 per 100,000 people, with individual Mansfield neighbourhoods having rates more than five or six times the average.
Grange Farm and Ladybrook has a rate of 180.1, while King’s Walk, Berry Hill and Oakham has a rate of 162.5.
Eight other areas have infection rates above the national average, while Warsop has almost no cases at all.
Public health bosses warned last week that high rates in Mansfield were the result of outbreaks in the town’s schools, with the virus being transmitted from pupils to parents.
Following the rise, residents have been warned to “keep their heads on” as businesses reopen.
Ben Bradley, Mansfield’s Conservative MP, said: “Obviously nobody wants to be on the wrong end of the list, and it’s incumbent on us to follow the rules.
“While things are positive and they’re moving in the right direction, we don’t yet know that everything is going to work.
“We haven’t yet seen in the flesh how effective the vaccine is going to be, and we’re not out of the woods yet.
“We need to see the proof in the pudding with the vaccine, that rising cases doesn’t lead to rising hospitalisations, and that we can be absolutely sure everything is going to work.
“People need to keep their heads on for the time being. I don’t see this as an additional risk, but we need to still be abiding by the rules as things open back up.”
Jonathan Gribbin, public health director for Nottinghamshire, issued a similar warning and broke down where the Covid cases are coming from. He said: “The rate of new infections in Mansfield remains at a high level compared to much of the country.
“In total there have been about 122 cases in the last week, with half of the cases among young people aged under 18 and most of those are aged between 12 and 17.
“Many of these are associated with a couple of schools in the district.
“The other half of the cases are amongst people of working age, with a small number amongst older people. Some of these cases come from households with links to the schools where we have seen cases. Others appear to have no direct links to these settings.
“All of this is a powerful reminder that Covid19 is still circulating widely in Nottinghamshire, and of the need for everyone to maintain the restrictions which are in place at Step 2 of the roadmap.
“As the lockdown is eased, the commitment and vigilance of everyone in Mansfield is still needed so that we do not become the focus of a resurgence.
“This means everyone needs to carry on with the Hands, Face, Space rules, only meet others outdoors in a group of six or two households – and even then, keeping a distance of two metres.
“It means following the rules for any shop, hairdresser, pub, restaurant or gym we visit. As ever, if you have symptoms of Covid-19, it is essential that you get a free PCR test and isolate immediately.”