Tough new Covid rules are coming
TOUGHER restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus are expected to be announced today as rising cases put an increasing strain on hospitals.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will address the recalled House of Commons after MPs have passed key legislation on the post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.
With case rates rising in all regions of England, as well as the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, any changes are likely to involve areas moving up a tier rather than down.
Devon’s director of public health designate, Steve Brown, said before Christmas he was surprised the county had not been put into Tier Three at the last review. Cornwall was raised from Tier One to Tier Two from Boxing Day, but Devon stayed where it was.
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.”
Last night, Cornwall Council said it was becoming increasingly concerned at a 44% rise in cases in the last seven days.
Now an expert adviser to the Government has said national coronavirus restrictions are needed to prevent a “catastrophe”, and the head of an organisation representing health trusts said “as much of the country as possible” should go into the harshest Tier Four.
Exeter University’s expert in infectious diseases, Dr Bharat Pankhania, said it would be ‘prudent’ to delay schools reopening after Christmas and to increase the closure period beyond the one additional week announced by Michael Gove.
CORONAVIRUS figures for Cornwall show the ‘highest number of daily positive cases’ in Cornwall since the pandemic began.
Government data released on Monday shows there have been 261 new positive Covid tests in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – and 784 positive cases in the last seven days.
Cluster information shows the area with the most positive cases of Covid in Cornwall is St Columb Minor & Porth with 28 cases, followed by The Lizard with 24 cases and Callington & Pensilva and St Agnes & Mount Hawke with 23 cases each.
Nine areas across the county are cluster-free, which means they have between zero and two positive Covid cases recorded in the same seven-dayperiod.
In Devon, Plymouth has also seen a big jump in cases, with more than 90 new reports of Covid-19 in the city, according to the latest data from the city council and Public Health England.
Plymouth City Council continues to urge Plymothians to be vigilant and follow the rules, as cases in the city continue to rise and the virus continues to spread.
The latest figures show there have been 454 new cases of coronavirus reported in Plymouth in the last seven days – 93 yesterday – bringing the total number of cases reported in the city since the pandemic began to 5,176.
Plymouth’s current case rate per
100,000 population sits at 173.2, compared to the South West number – 162.8.
The tweet from Plymouth City Council said: “Coronavirus is continuing to spread in the city, 93 new cases have been reported in Plymouth today alone.
“Please follow the measures to help keep our city safe.”
Across the South West region, one in every 476 people now has the new, more infectious, coronavirus variant, according to estimates from experts.
The Covid-19 variant’s rate has almost doubled across our region but is still far below the levels seen in other parts of the country.
The mutated strain has been held as a reason for introducing tighter restrictions on members of the public last week. The Prime Minister warned it could be around 70% more infectious than other forms.
The variant – which has led to some countries banning travel from the UK – has been spreading through the country since September. It is most prevalent in London, the South East and East of England.