City chief hints more restrictions on way as hospital sees cases rise
LEEDS Council chiefs have dropped their strongest hint yet that the city could be subject to further Covid- 19 restrictions in the coming weeks.
The authority’s most senior official said the predicted increase in cases was likely to see Leeds continue to “rise through the tiers” of the Government’s Covid19 watchlist.
One of the city’s top virus experts added that the number of cases at St James’s Hospital was already on the increase, and advised individuals to avoid meeting people from other households indoors wherever possible.
The UK’s most senior public health officials and politicians were expected to meet yesterday to discuss the current spread of the virus, before announcing any extra local measures they deem necessary today.
Following their meeting last week, the Government announced it would provide Leeds with “enhanced support” to help combat the spread of the virus.
While nobody within the council is likely to know what further decisions will be made until the end of this week, the authority’s chief executive Tom Riordan warned the number of cases was continuing to rise.
He told a meeting of Leeds Council’s executive board: “The latest numbers show we are in the late 80s per hundred thousand – we expect that to continue to rise, with the increasing trends we have seen across the country.
“We have been in different tiers of the Government watchlist and, unless something dramatic happens, I think we would expect to continue to rise up those tiers, but we will hear more about that tomorrow.
“The work done to keep the cases from turning into outbreaks is extremely intensive and important, and is making a real difference. The rates are going up but not as quickly as other parts of the country.
“Our numbers will continue to rise and we will hear more tomorrow about whether we will enter into further restrictions.”
Dr Stephen Griffin, a viral oncologist based at the University of Leeds, said the spread of the virus was “worrying”, and that Government messaging needed to be simpler.