HEALTH CHIEF ‘EXPECTED’ DEVON IN TIER 3

DEVON’S Director of Public Health has said he was surprised the county was not placed into Tier Three as part of the latest coronavirus restrictions review.

The county has seen a 55 % increase in the number of cases of coronavirus over the last week – although it remains among the bottom 20% for infection rates.

The most recent figures show that Devon has the highest case rate since the county’s previous peak in mid-November, and Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon (Designate), had warned that the rise is likely to continue unless further restrictions are put in place.

Cornwall was lifted from Tier One to Tier Two, and Somerset from Tier Two to Tier Three on Boxing Day. Devon, however, remains in Tier Two for the time being. Mr Brown said: “Given our rising case numbers and emergence of the new variant, I am surprised that Devon has not yet been lifted into Tier Three.”

Although case numbers are up across the county, they are currently highest in North Devon and West Devon, with the latter partially explained by cases at Dartmoor Prison . Despite the rise, the South Hams and Teignbridge are still in the bottom ten areas in England for infection rates, as is Torbay.

The age groups experiencing the highest numbers of cases are those aged 20 to 39, 40 to 59, and 80 and over – although the latter range has seen a slight decline in the most recent sets of data.