Coronavirus: Leicester to be told it must stay in current lockdown for extra two weeks after spike in COVID-19 cases

The current lockdown measures should remain in force in Leicester for an extra two weeks, it has been recommended, while coronavirus restrictions are eased across the rest of England from this Saturday.

But a parliamentary statement on the city's fate, to be made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, was due at 5pm and has been delayed until shortly after 9pm this evening. It is not known why.

The city's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby had said he received a report by email just after 1am today detailing the suggestions which he said were unjustified and had been "hastily cobbled together".

He said it had left him "angry and frustrated", adding that a meeting due to take place on Monday morning between him, the council's director of public health Ivan Browne and Whitehall officials to discuss a local surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, had been postponed to later in the day.

Lockdown measures are due to be relaxed in England on 4 July, with pubs, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers and barbers allowed to reopen.

But the Public Health England (PHE) report recommends delaying "relaxation actions in Leicester and enhancement of monitoring of social distancing guidelines for at least two weeks".

It suggests "targeted enhanced actions" such as the "closure" of non-essential shops and other areas where social gatherings may take place, as well as workplaces where 5% or 10% of staff have tested positive for COVID-19 within a two-week period.

It also recommends local officials consider the weekly testing of all care home staff - around 250 venues - "to protect the most vulnerable for the next four weeks".

Sir Peter told Sky News the recommendations from PHE would have a "significant" impact on residents, adding he had been shown "no evidence" to convince him that if the city was to remain restricted for longer than the rest of England "that would make a difference".

He said the report acknowledges there have been more cases in Leicester because of an increase in testing, and that there has been a decline in coronavirus-related deaths in the city - similar to what is happening across the country.

"They certainly don't suggest that there are particular issues here that need to be dealt with in some dramatic way," he said.

"That is fine if it is necessary, but they will have to prove it is necessary... or that it would make any difference... and then explain to us how on earth it can be made to happen."

Asked if pubs and restaurants would be reopening in the city this weekend, he replied: "They will, I expect, unless we get instructions to the contrary."

He earlier told LBC Radio that extending the present level of restrictions for two weeks when the rest of the country would have them lifted "is not justified by any of the figures they have let us have", adding: "There is very little substance in it."

He said of the rescheduled discussions: "If they are talking to us on the basis of this report, they are talking to us on the basis of something hastily cobbled together, incredibly superficial, and clearly based on a misunderstanding or a failure to understand the city.

"I gather that a group of officials came here for a day visit and talked to a few people and then went back and cobbled this report together. That is not the basis for sensible policy-making about the very considerable dangers of this virus."

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Sir Peter said the council was only provided with detailed testing information for the first time on Thursday - a week after Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced there was a local outbreak in the city.

Also on 4 July, parks and shops with outdoor entrances will be able to reopen in Scotland, and schools in Wales will welcome more pupils.

According to Public Health England data, almost 3,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Leicester since the start of the pandemic.

Of these, 866 cases were reported in the last two weeks.

Cafe owner Gail Brown told Sky News she had spoken to some people who were both surprised and concerned about the spike in cases.

She said: "It is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of businesses. We have been lucky that we have been able to trade all the way through lockdown, bar a couple of days. Next week we were considering having seats outside before allowing people to come into the premises... and then we were going to look at opening properly.

"People are eager to get back inside pubs, coffee shops and restaurants. Businesses in Leicester are desperate to open and for things to get back to normal."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government was "concerned about Leicester", adding that the "whack-a-mole" strategy had worked in Weston-super-Mare and where there had been outbreaks around GP surgeries in London.

"That's the same approach that we will bring to bear in Leicester as well," he said.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said on Sunday that Leicester was an area of concern and urged residents to be vigilant against the virus.

It stopped short of saying a local lockdown was likely.

Mr Hancock, who is involved in the talks with Leicester officials, is expected to update MPs in the Commons later.

Downing Street played down the prospect of roadblocks being set up to seal off entire areas where there were localised coronavirus outbreaks.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "The sorts of things we have talked about in the roadmap were, for example, closing down particular schools or particular groups of schools, potentially limiting admissions to health facilities or - if there were a particular business or premises linked to an outbreak - closing that down temporarily."

Pressed on whether local lockdowns could mean people being stopped from entering or leaving areas affected by the virus, the spokesman said: "The priority... would be to close down premises linked to outbreaks and, where people are considered to be at risk because they have come into contact with others confirmed as having coronavirus, telling them they need to self-isolate for 14 days."

The DHSC said 43,550 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on Saturday, up by 36 from the day before.

The government figures do not include all deaths involving COVID-19 across the UK, which are thought to have passed 54,000.