To protect community’
Leaders to call on residents for help fighting Covid-19
quickly as possible. The borough’s cases remain high and everyone needs to continue following the advice to keep our infection rate down. Follow the rules, be responsible, protect yourself, and by doing that you will protect your family and friends.”
Two free walk-in testing centres are open to the public in the town hall car park in the town centre and at the Market Place car park by Middleton Arena, and another two sites in Littleborough and by Heywood Civic Centre are expected to open soon.
The borough’s additional measures on maintaining 2 metres of social distancing at all times, wearing face coverings in public as much as possible and washing hands as much as possible will remain in place for another two weeks to Friday August 14.
Meanwhile, targeted testing and the extra measures introduced by Rochdale council from Friday, July 17 to prevent a local lockdown have been credited with the borough recording Greater Manchester’s only fall in infection rates - although residents are still being reminded to stay vigilant.
Rochdale recorded 25 lab-confirmed cases on July 17, but this had dropped to six just a week later.
More importantly, the seven day average has also tailed off significantly from 16 on July 20 to less than 10 early last week.
The rate of infection per 100,000 borough residents was reported as 27.3 per 100,000 on Friday (July 31), compared to 46.8 on July 18 - and Rochdale has now been displaced by Oldham and Trafford in the rankings of the highest concentration of positive tests in Greater Manchester’s boroughs.
However with the borough still recording the eighth highest rate of infection in England down from fourth on Friday July 17 July - Andrea
Fallon has warned it is no time for complacency.
She said: “Whilst we have been pleased to see the longest continuous fall in cases since May the borough remains in a serious position with still one of the highest rates of cases in England.
“Whilst our work continues to try and reduce the number of cases we have to remind residents not to be complacent when there is a fall in cases, keep following the guidance and remember this deadly virus is still very much with us.”
Coun Brett echoed her advice, saying that whilst the latest figures were encouraging, a downward trend over several weeks would need to be seen.
He added: “Please remember this deadly virus is still very much with us. People are still dying, we have had deaths in the borough in the last week.
“This advice applies to every resident in the borough and we must all work together to stop the spread of coronavirus. It is up to us all to do this. We still have the ability to turn the situation around and this is why we are asking everyone to keep following the rules and take up the offer of a test.”
A coronavirus test can be booked online or by calling 0808 1964 100.