DON’T KILL GRANNY

Hancock warning to young as he considers crackdown on seeing friends and family

THE young were warned against spreading the virus to older, more vulnerable relatives yesterday as the Health Secretary considered a crackdown on seeing friends and family.

Matt Hancock told those in their late teens and early 20s ‘Don’t kill your granny’ amid concerns they are behind a steep recent rise in cases.

Figures on Sunday showed there had been 2,988 new infections in the previous 24 hours, which was the highest daily rate since May 22.

Yesterday’s numbers were at a similar level, with an additional 2,948 positive cases up to 9am, a jump from just 1,175 cases on Saturday.

The data also showed that the seven-day rate of cases has risen above the Government’s own quarantine level for foreign countries.

There were 21.3 cases per 100,000 in the week to September 7, up from 13.9 in the previous week. When other countries report rates above 20 per 100,000, the Government considers imposing a 14-day quarantine on arrivals.

Mr Hancock believes ‘affluent’ 17 to 21-yearolds meeting up at each other’s houses or gathering in large numbers outdoors are behind the recent surge in cases.

He is considering imposing stricter social distancing measures which could see people banned from seeing family and friends indoors.

It came as the leaders of seven councils in the North East of England criticised the ‘reckless and selfish behaviour’ which has caused a doubling in new cases across the region in just over a week to around 80 a day. They said a ‘significant minority’ had put the public at risk by holding house parties and mass gatherings.

Currently, we are allowed to meet up with one other household inside at a time. We can also see a maximum of six people from different households outside, with this rising to 30 if they are all from the same two households.

Mr Hancock said that, although youngsters feel they are immune from the harms of the virus themselves, they ‘inevitably’ spread it to older generations.

He also highlighted the situation in France and Spain, where the numbers going to hospital with the virus has surged in the past two months.

Both countries initially saw rises in cases among the young which then spread to older groups, he explained. He said: ‘The message to everybody of any age, the risk of spreading it to others – and especially others who are older, and therefore highly vulnerable to the disease – that risk is real. Sticking to the social distancing rules is incredibly important.

‘The question is, how much are you willing to risk the lives of yourself and others by breaking the social distancing rules?

‘Don’t kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on. And you can pass it on before you have had any symptoms at all.’

Health officials will monitor the figures over the next few days, and will consider imposing restrictions such as banning families from meeting indoors or limiting numbers who can meet outside. Such restrictions are already in place in parts of Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

And as of 6pm tonight, Caerphilly in South Wales will be subject to a local lockdown after a rapid rise in cases to 55.4 per 100,000.

Yvonne Doyle, of Public Health England, said: ‘The vast majority of new cases are in young people in their late teens and early 20s.

‘What we don’t want to see is a continuing increase of cases in this age group because it could lead to them infecting their parents and grandparents who are much more at risk of poor outcomes from the virus.’

Last night, England’s deputy chief medical officer said the latest rise in cases was of ‘great concern’.

Professor Jonathan Van Tam said people had ‘relaxed too much’ over the summer and ‘we have got to start taking this very seriously again’.