Yahoo News Preston facing possible Government intervention over rising coronavirus rates, local leader warns
Preston could be the next area to face stricter lockdown measures due to a rise in coronavirus rates in the city, a local official has warned.
Preston City Council chief executive Adrian Phillips said local authorities were facing up to the prospect of possible Government intervention after ministers imposed stringent restrictions on other parts of Northern England battling rising Covid-19 caseloads a week ago.
“We know our rates are increasing and they have increased over the last week to a level now where we are concerned that we could face Government intervention," Mr Phillips told BBC Breakfast on Thursday.
“There is a concentration in inner areas as there usually is in any urban environment, but it’s in villages, it’s in our suburbs," he said.
Data from Public Health England shows Preston recorded 49 new cases of coronavirus in the week leading up to July 31, with 18 cases recorded on July 29 alone.
The figure marks a more than two-fold rise in infections from the week before, when 22 coronavirus cases were recorded.
The majority of the spread of Covid-19 is occurring through households and community transmission, according to a statement on Preston City Council's website citing evidence from Public Health England.
“The city is surrounded by areas that have had enforced measures implemented by Government and we want to act now to stop that from happening (in) Preston," the statement said.
In a bid to reduce levels of transmission, Preston City Council has advised residents in the Lancashire city to avoid having visitors to their homes.
The authority has also urged residents to wear face coverings at all times and to get tested even if they are experiencing only mild symptoms.
“We’ve been working with our communities to make sure we get those key messages out," Mr Phillips said.
“Covid has not gone away and it is us all taking that message on board and making sure that we don’t relax our guard too much, that we maintain those key issues.”
The heightened concern about the situation in Preston comes after local lockdown laws brought in last Thursday for other parts of the county, as well as Greater Manchester and parts of West Yorkshire, banned people from different households from meeting each other indoors or in private gardens as well as from going to bars, pubs and other hospitality venues together.
Anyone caught flouting the restrictions could be fined £100 and up to a maximum of £3,200 for repeat offences.
