Fears over lockdown as Covid cases rise

AW H I TWO RT H school is at the centre of Rossendale’s coronavirus outbreak that has seen its infection rate spike to become one of the worst in all of England - and raised fears of a new local lockdown.

Fresh data released on Tuesday evening, September 1 saw Rossendale rise up the Covid-19 infection rate table into the top five across England.

Rolling data for the seven days to Saturday, August 29, saw the borough experience 35 new cases of the virus, giving it an infection rate of 49 new cases per 100,000 people.

The last three days of the week of data saw 16, seven, and eight new cases of the virus respectively.

In the week before, the rate stood at 12.6 with only nine cases across seven days.

Now, the leader of Rossendale Borough Council, Coun Alyson Barnes, has confirmed that the increase is “largely related” to a number of new cases traced back to a Whitworth school.

The school, the identity of which is currently not known, had been used by an external provider for an out of hours club.

The matter is now being dealt with by Lancashire County Council.

“Parents of all local children concerned have been notified and will be self-isolating and seeking a test,” Coun Barnes said.

Cases have also been identified in Rossendale bars and restaurants among both staff and customers.

The affected premises are closed until deep cleans have taken place and staff are testing negative for the virus.

Coun Barnes said: “We have also identified a small number of bars and restaurants across the borough who have reported staff and customers who have tested positive since August 28.

“In these instances, we have worked very closely with the businesses to ensure they do everything possible to keep both staff and customers safe - this includes voluntarily closing the businesses, carrying out deep cleans and testing every member of staff.”

Overall, the council leader played down the rise, saying they are aware of a “recent small surge in coronavirus cases” for Rossendale.

She also said the council does not anticipate the “small, specific surge will mean the borough will need to return to the increased lockdown restrictions we recently experienced”.

Coun Barnes said: “We continue with our programme of advising businesses of their responsibilities to protect public health. We will monitor the situation closely and take this opportunity to re-emphasise the Government’s guidance on social distancing.”

But Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health for Lancashire, said the rise was “concerning”.

However, regarding a potential local change back to local restrictions, he said: “The decisions on additional measures are made at the national level - we provide local contextual information.

“We take into account a range of issues when looking at possible measures within a local area. This includes case numbers, as well as other factors such as where the cases are occurring and how it has been spread. Higher case numbers don’t show the wider picture, which is needed for dealing with

Covid. MP Jake Berry said: “Recent rises in the infection rate in Rossendale are worrying and show that we all have to remain alert and follow basic procedures such as hand washing and social distancing to keep this dreadful disease at bay. I shall be discussing the infection rate in Rossendale with Health Secretary Matt Hancock and what measures may be needed to keep us safe.”

SINCE my last column I’m pleased to say the increased restrictions placed on East Lancashire and parts of Greater Manchester have been eased for many areas, including Rossendale.

This is in no small part due to the efforts made by residents in Rossendale to adhere to the safety guidelines and ensure our COVID rates remained one of the lowest in the region.

That being said, positive test results have increased over the past two weeks so it is more important than ever that we do not become complacent and continue to follow the guidelines of social distancing, frequent handwashing and the wearing of masks in shops and other premises when indoors.

As many schools return back this week there may be added concern for some parents.

School will certainly look quite different for many and parents who have questions can find information on the Lancashire County Council website. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the dedicated community and voluntary groups that helped and continue to help during this pandemic - especially the groups that worked tirelessly to make sure that no one has gone hungry.

The pulling together, pooling of resources, and the overall community spirit that has prevailed has been truly inspirational and I’m confident that this will continue.

If we can take any positives from the last few months, this must surely be one of them.

Thank you each and every one of you.

I am not the only person sad to see Jane Boys leave Rawtenstall market.

In a little over a year Jane has created an outstanding community market that so many more people now enjoy visiting.

I wish her well in whatever comes next.

It has been reported recently that the sale of various woodland sites is being offered for sale again by Lancashire County Council.

I would like to assure residents that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to try to make sure that some of the most valuable sites do retain public access.

I will keep you updated with how things progress.

Finally, September sees the second month of the Haslingden 2040 consultation period that will run until September 25. It’s an opportunity for all Rossendale residents, not just those that live in Haslingden, to have their say on the proposed plan to establish Haslingden as an up and coming town and help shape the future of the area.

We’ve exciting plans for Haslingden - but we need to secure funding to make sure we can implement them.

The involvement of local people is key to this and if you live in Haslingden then you should already have received a brochure through your door that provides more information – or you can visit www. haslingden2040.co.uk.

The most important thing for us is that your voice is heard.

Many of you have already completed our online survey, and the response so far has been great - but we’d like to hear from even more of you!

The more completed surveys we gather the more we are able to demonstrate your support and gain the necessary funding for the Haslingden 2040 vision.

You don’t have to live in Haslingden to complete the survey and if you’re unable to complete it online we can make paper copies available.

Make sure you have your say before it’s too late - you have until September 25 to complete the survey.