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Oldham coronavirus spike 'because of socioeconomic factors and not flouting of rules', deputy council leader says

A shopper adjusts her face mask on Oxford Stree: AFP via Getty Images
A shopper adjusts her face mask on Oxford Stree: AFP via Getty Images

The deputy council leader in Oldham says the spike in coronavirus cases in the city is down to "socioeconomic factors" rather than people flouting rules.

New restrictions were introduced immediately on Tuesday after a surge in coronavirus cases in the last week.

The new guidance, which will last two weeks, aims to halt the spread of the virus and avoid a local lockdown as seen in Leicester.

The council said a significant number of recent cases involved multiple individuals testing positive within a household, pointing towards household spread as the issue - especially in households with large families.

But Arooj Shah, Oldham Council's deputy leader, said the rise in cases was not down to "behavioural" issues.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: "There is a concern in the rise - if you think about the week before, we had around 25 cases, and the following week we had up to 119 cases, so it just shows how the pattern can change so quickly.

"What I have to stress is that all we are doing right now is just acting early to avoid a local lockdown or further restrictions."

Ms Shah said Oldham residents had been "absolutely amazing" during the coronavirus lockdown.

"They have complied for the last four months and I'm sure in that same spirit of coming together and helping save lives, they will continue to do that," she said.

"This isn't a result of behavioural issues - there's socioeconomic factors that I believe have caused the rise.

"Behaviourally, everybody has been absolutely fantastic and I have to acknowledge that and thank them."

As part of the new measures, the borough’s 235,000 residents are being asked not to have social visitors to their home and to keep two metres apart from friends and family when seeing them outside.

People who are "shielding" will also be asked to continue to shield for another two weeks from Friday, July 31 and care homes will not relax the recent lifting of restrictions on visiting.

Councillor Arooj Shah, deputy leader of Oldham Council and cabinet member for Covid-19 recovery, said: "We’re urging residents to continue to take the risk of coronavirus seriously and to stick to the guidelines.

"The best way to avoid infection is to limit contact with others as much as possible and to stay home wherever you can, including working from home.

"Limit contact with other people and respect social distancing where you do go out; keeping at least two metres from those not in your household and avoid shaking hands or hugging."

Cllr Shah said people should be "doing everything possible" to avoid gatherings of more than 30 people and urged people to wear a mask and abide by social distancing guidelines.

The local council said a significant proportion of recent cases involve multiple individuals testing positive within a household, pointing towards household spread as the issue, especially in households with large families.

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