Covid crackdown ordered in West

Government brings in special measures as cases keep soaring

ANXIOUS ministers are urging visitors and locals in the Westcountry to don their facemasks once again and stick to social distancing as Covid rates continue to soar in the region.

Health Minister Nadine Dorries last night wrote to local authorities across the Westcountry announcing an “enhanced response package” in an effort to curb the third wave of coronavirus, as hospitalisations and death rates creep up in the region.

She warned: “The South West has the highest case rates nationally, with only a handful of areas below the national average. Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth, Torbay and Isles of Scilly have some of the highest case rates rises above the national average. The 7-day case rate per 100,000 population increases for West Devon is 157%, for South Hams it is 122% and for the Isles of Scilly it is 400%.”

Luke Pollard, Sutton and Devonport Labour MP said: “This happens at the point of Bank Holiday weekend, so one of our most important tourist seasons, and I think many tourist businesses will be concerned about this announcement. From my point of view, I want to see everyone follow the guidance and look after themselves. Our rate is too high at the moment, and what we mustn’t do is allow the virus to continue to spread at this level because that puts pressure on our NHS.”

ENHANCED response measures are set to be put in place across the South West due to soaring rates of Covid-19.

As the August Bank Holiday – one of the South West’s busiest times – gets underway, Devon and Cornwall are to receive ‘an enhanced response package’, the government announced last night.

The measures, which are subject to sign-off by Number 10, will not mean extra restrictions for the region. But what ministers are calling “support measures” will be rolled out to assist in education settings and increased public communications, clearly outlining the continued risks of Covid-19 and the need to take personal action.

The advice to continue to wear facemasks across the Westcountry in indoor settings and to maintain social distancing is being stepped up too.

The special measures will last for five weeks – but a review will be conducted at week four to determine whether the automatic reduction at week five is appropriate, or if there is a case for re-escalation of further measures.

A letter written by Minister Nadine Dorries and sent to the region’s MPs states that following discussions with officials in the relevant South West local authorities they will be identifying the appropriate interventions and will start deploying the enhanced response area measures immediately.

The letter says while the Prime Minister has said he wants the whole country to move out of and remain out of these restrictions together, the government is trusting people to be responsible and to act with caution and common sense – and to make decisions about how best to protect themselves and their loved ones, informed by the risks.

The suggestion is that if it doesn’t happen, measures could be ‘re-escalated’.

For the week ending August 22, Cornwall had the highest infection rate in England, with West Devon 3rd, Teignbridge 4th, Torbay 5th, Mid Devon 6th, Torridge 7th, East Devon 9th, Exeter 10th, South Hams 11th, North Devon 12th and Plymouth 13th. Only Sedgemoor (2nd) and Mansfield (8th) are among the top areas not in Devon and Cornwall.

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “What this basically means is our rates are the highest in the country, and as a result they are kicking in new measures, which is basically a response to those high rates of infection.

“It also allows more communications, community testing, and a bigger push on some of the advice such as wearing face masks in schools for instance.”

He added: “This affects all of the South West, but especially the peninsula, because the peninsula has the highest rates. So that’s Devon and Cornwall, Plymouth, South Hams and all the districts.

“It’s partly a reflection on the fact that we’re a tourist destination, partly a reflection on the fact that we didn’t have high levels of Covid during the main outbreak, because we had lower levels, and so there’s less natural immunity built up by people having Covid. We do have a good take up of people having the vaccine, so three quarters of the population are fully vaccinated, and despite there being challenges about vaccinating young people, there’s still lots of capacity for young people to come forward and have their vaccine.”