Mayor launches pro-mask campaign over Covid spike
THE West of England’s metro mayor is urging people to start wearing masks again in public places after a spike in Covid cases across the South West.
Dan Norris is sending a poster urging people to wear masks to more than 10,000 public-facing businesses in the region.
He will also take out pro-mask adverts in local papers and has written to Health Secretary Sajid Javid asking for extra funding for the West of England.
It comes as the region continues to battle the highest number of Covid cases in the country.
The south west of England has seen a huge spike in cases, with some of the blame being laid on errors at a lab in Wolverhampton which told many people who had the virus that they were Covid-free.
“Through no fault of the NHS, local civic leadership, local businesses, or local people, infections continued to spread unchecked within our region,” he said.
“Now we face a hugely difficult situation.”
Mr Norris warned that the NHS is facing a looming crisis which could bring it “to its knees”.
“There is a looming crisis,” he said. “The last thing I want to see is more death and heartbreak, with patients queuing on trolleys as our precious NHS is brought to its knees.”
Instead, he asked the public to give the NHS the best possible present this Christmas by wearing a mask, getting vaccinated and washing their hands.
Figures published yesterday show that Cheltenham has the highest case rate in the country.
The town’s MP Alex Chalk is among those to have tested positive for the virus.
Cheltenham recorded 1,478 new cases in the seven days to October 21, the equivalent of 1,273.7 per 100,000 people.
This is up sharply from 602.4 in the seven days to October 14.
Neighbouring Tewkesbury has the third highest rate in the UK, up from 484.4 to 1,212.9, with 1,172 new cases.
Stroud, Swindon, Mendip, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire are also in the ten worst local authorities in the country at the moment.
Just behind them Somerset West and Taunton, Wiltshire, Forest of Dean and Cotswold feature in the top 20 authorities (out of 377).