UPDATE: 5.22pm 07/08
A recent update from the government has dashed hopes of any change for the next week at least. Many northern cities were mentioned in the brief update, but Leicester was not named at all.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The past week has been difficult for many people in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and East Lancashire, and I thank everyone in these areas for their patience and willingness to follow the rules.
“Yesterday I chaired a meeting of the Local Action Gold Committee, and unfortunately, the data does not yet show a decrease in the transmission of this terrible virus.
“It means we must keep the current restrictions in place to allow more time for the impact of this ban on indoor gatherings to be felt, and make sure local residents and their loved ones are protected. At the request of the local area we are also extending these restrictions to Preston.
“We are constantly examining the data on the prevalence of the virus in these areas, and we will review the measures again next week.
“As we continue to see rising rates of the virus across Europe, it is vital we take every precaution to protect our country. I urge everyone in these areas to follow the rules, get yourself a free test as soon as you get any symptoms, and isolate if NHS Test and Trace tells you to.”
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Original Story:
The Government is expected to make an announcement today regarding the lockdown in Leicester. It is currently unclear as to whether or not changes will be made to the city and lockdown rules.
The last we heard from Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Matt Hancock, regarding the Leicester lockdown, was on 30 July in the form of a screenshot of an Apple note, in which a number of northern towns were declared to be facing more restrictions. Leicester was briefly mentioned at the end of that note.
Leicester’s seven-day coronavirus infection rate has fallen once again. This gives Leicester the third highest rate in England, however this is arguably a vast improvement, as it was previously three times higher than the city with the second highest rate.
The latest figures that have been given between July 29 to August 4 show that Leicester’s cases stand at 51.2 per 100,000 people. With a population of over 320,000 people, that’s roughly a rate of 164 cases.
We are expecting to hear from the government, and in turn, the city council sometime today. Subscribe to our social media channels for updates on this story:
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By Sam Ellison
