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Leicester coronavirus outbreak: mayor 'frustrated' with ministers Leicester forced into local lockdown to combat surge in Covid-19 cases
(about 7 hours later)
Peter Soulsby says government report is superficial and was ‘cobbled together very hastily’ New measures affect schools and non-essential retail shops as the rest of England embraces new freedoms from Saturday
The government’s lack of communication with Leicester city council about the coronavirus outbreak in the city has been “intensely frustrating”, according to its mayor. Leicester will endure England’s first local lockdown with schools shutting for most children and some shops forced to close as restrictions are strengthened and continued for a further two weeks in a bid to combat a surge in Covid-19 cases, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.
Sir Peter Soulsby’s criticism comes after the home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Sunday the government was considering a localised lockdown in Leicester. Non-essential retail shops will close from Tuesday and schools will be forced to shut to most children from Thursday in a series of moves to quell coronavirus infections, which swelled by nearly 900 in a fortnight.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the Labour mayor said government officials had now instead suggested keeping current lockdown restrictions in place across the city for a further two weeks to control the outbreak. It means the city of more than 300,000 people will have to wait while the rest of England enjoys new freedoms from 4 July on what has been labelled “Super Saturday”.
The move came after Hancock met with local leaders in Leicester on Monday afternoon to discuss the plans. The city’s Labour mayor earlier hit out at the government’s handling of the outbreak in the city, describing Downing Street’s plans as hastily “cobbled together”.
Addressing the Commons in an unusual evening statement – which was delayed by several hours – Hancock told MPs: “Given the current outbreak in Leicester, we cannot recommend that the easing of the national lockdown, set to take place on the fourth of July, happens in Leicester.
“Having taken clinical advice on the actions necessary, and having discussed them with the local team in Leicester and Leicestershire, we’ve made some difficult – but important – decisions.
“We’ve decided that from tomorrow [Tuesday], non-essential retail will have to close and, as children have been particularly impacted by this outbreak, schools will also need to close from Thursday, staying open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers as they did throughout.
“Unfortunately, the clinical advice is that the relaxation of shielding measures due on the 6th of July cannot now take place in Leicester. We recommend to people in Leicester, stay at home as much as you can. And we recommend against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester.
“We’ll monitor closely adherence to social distancing rules and we’ll take further steps if that’s what’s necessary.”
The local measures would be kept under review, he said, adding that they would not be imposed for any longer than necessary. The measures would be reviewed in two weeks’ time, he said.
According to Leicester city council, the latest figures from Public Health England show that 866 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the city in the two weeks up to 23 June. It said in total, 2,987 people have tested positive with Covid-19 in the city since the start of the epidemic.According to Leicester city council, the latest figures from Public Health England show that 866 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the city in the two weeks up to 23 June. It said in total, 2,987 people have tested positive with Covid-19 in the city since the start of the epidemic.
“Frankly, it’s been intensely frustrating,” said Soulsby. “It was only last Thursday that we finally got some of the data we need but we’re still not getting all of it and it was only at 1.04am that the recommendations for Leicester arrived in my inbox. On Sunday, the home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Sunday the government was considering a localised lockdown in Leicester. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson said on Monday that the government was “concerned” about Leicester.
“What they’re suggesting is not a return to lockdown, it seems that what they’re suggesting is that we continue the present level of restriction for a further two weeks beyond 4 July. Leicester’s mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, described the government’s approach to the Leicester outbreak as “intensely frustrating”.
“It was only last Thursday that we finally got some of the data we need but we’re still not getting all of it and it was only at 1.04am that the recommendations for Leicester arrived in my inbox,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday. “What they’re suggesting is not a return to lockdown, it seems that what they’re suggesting is that we continue the present level of restriction for a further two weeks beyond 4 July.
“I’ve looked at this report and, frankly, it’s obviously been cobbled together very hastily. It’s superficial and its description of Leicester is inaccurate and certainly it does not provide us with the information we need if we are to remain restricted for two weeks longer than the rest of the country.”“I’ve looked at this report and, frankly, it’s obviously been cobbled together very hastily. It’s superficial and its description of Leicester is inaccurate and certainly it does not provide us with the information we need if we are to remain restricted for two weeks longer than the rest of the country.”
As other areas of the country see surges in cases, Keith Neal, the University of Nottingham’s emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases, warned that any form of localised lockdown raised the problem of where to draw the line on which areas to include or not.
He said: “One of the biggest problems is deciding who is in the lockdown area and who is not. This needs to be understandable to both the people who are inside and the people on the outside. People on the inside of the lockdown need to understand why they have been included. There would be nothing to stop people on the outside taking further voluntary precautions themselves as individuals if they were worried.
“Defining the specific area will be one of the largest problems. Local authority boundaries can run down the middle of the street with one side in one local authority and the opposite another.
“Urban sprawl has allowed towns and cities to expand resulting in these areas often joining other areas who identify differently and do not see themselves as part of the expanding town or city.”
Claudia Webbe, the Labour MP for Leicester East, also criticised the government’s communication about how the city should tackle the outbreak, and called for a local lockdown.Claudia Webbe, the Labour MP for Leicester East, also criticised the government’s communication about how the city should tackle the outbreak, and called for a local lockdown.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: “There are significant worries and significant problems in terms of inequalities and high levels of poverty that I’m concerned about.Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: “There are significant worries and significant problems in terms of inequalities and high levels of poverty that I’m concerned about.
“That is the context in which this Covid-19 is operating in. So I’m very concerned, and I really do believe that where the data allows we need to ensure that we engage in processes to protect lives, and I think we need to go into therefore more localised lockdown to protect lives and ensure that we can address this virus.“That is the context in which this Covid-19 is operating in. So I’m very concerned, and I really do believe that where the data allows we need to ensure that we engage in processes to protect lives, and I think we need to go into therefore more localised lockdown to protect lives and ensure that we can address this virus.
“The government hasn’t reassured us. Thus far, the messages and the communication from the government have been unclear, and it has been difficult, and I really don’t understand what communities are meant to follow.”“The government hasn’t reassured us. Thus far, the messages and the communication from the government have been unclear, and it has been difficult, and I really don’t understand what communities are meant to follow.”
Leicester city council said it received detailed information on the new cases – including the postcodes of those being tested – on 25 June, a week after the health secretary, Matt Hancock, announced there was a local outbreak. Leicester city council said it received detailed information on the new cases – including the postcodes of those being tested – on 25 June, a week after Hancock announced there was a local outbreak.
However, the city’s public health director has also raised concerns about the level of information that has been provided to the council to help them pinpoint what has led to the surge in cases. The city’s public health director has also raised concerns about the level of information that has been provided to the council to help them pinpoint what has led to the surge in cases.
Ivan Browne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Interestingly it’s very much around the younger working-age population and predominately towards the east part of our city.Ivan Browne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Interestingly it’s very much around the younger working-age population and predominately towards the east part of our city.
“I don’t think at the moment we’re seeing a single cause or a single smoking gun on this so we need to really try to dig down and find out what is going on, and it’s likely to be a combination of factors.“I don’t think at the moment we’re seeing a single cause or a single smoking gun on this so we need to really try to dig down and find out what is going on, and it’s likely to be a combination of factors.
“Information has been challenging all the way through this. It has definitely been challenging and I think as director of public health we have really been pushing for some time to ask for as complete a data set as possible because that’s how we can really effectively start to challenge these things on the ground.”“Information has been challenging all the way through this. It has definitely been challenging and I think as director of public health we have really been pushing for some time to ask for as complete a data set as possible because that’s how we can really effectively start to challenge these things on the ground.”