Lockdown review ‘may take place on Monday’
WE ARE THE LAST TO FIND OUT, CITY MAYOR SAYS AS ANOTHER REVIEW DATE PASSES
PUBLIC health bosses in Leicester are waiting to hear from the government what changes may be made to the local lockdown.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had said the latest review of the restrictions, put in place more than 100 days ago, would have taken place by yesterday.
However, Leicester City Council said yesterday it had not yet been told the results of the government’s latest assessment of the city’s coronavirus infection rate and what that might mean.
The Mercury contacted the DHSC for comment, but Sir Peter Soulsby, the city mayor, said it was possible there would be no announcement until Monday, when Boris Johnson is expected to reveal details of a new three-tier system for local lockdowns.
Sir Peter said: “In the absence of any other information, we can perhaps conclude that any change might be rolled into what will be announced next week.
“Yet again, we and other councils are the last ones to find out what Whitehall intends to impose in terms of restrictions.
“That has been our experience for most of the past 100 days and it has been intensely frustrating.”
The restrictions currently in place in Leicester, and neighbouring Oadby and Wigston, add a ban on mixing between households in homes and gardens to the national Rule of Six.
On Thursday, the city recorded its largest number of new coronavirus cases – 98 – when there has not been a glitch in the counting system artificially increasing the daily total.
The city’s director of public health, Professor Ivan Browne, has warned the second wave of the virus could be more problematic than the first one in March.
He said: “Already, Leicester has seen 280 members of our community who have had their lives taken away prematurely by this disease, so we really have to take it very seriously. “The infection rates have continued to increase and there is a real fear we might lose loved ones or be affected in a way we don’t want to be over these winter months.
“The prospect of living under these rules for a number of more months is very, very, frustrating but we just have to keep going.”
He urged people to stick to the rules and practice social distancing.
Yet again, we and other councils are the last to find out what Whitehall intends to impose
Sir Peter Soulsby