Urgent plea by Redditch Council leader as towns Covid rate soars by 800 per cent – Birmingham Live

The leader of Redditch Council has issued an urgent appeal as the town’s coronavirus infection rate soars.

His plea came as the number of cases in Redditch shot up by 800 per cent in just one week – jumping from just three cases to 25.

Leaders are now anxiously waiting to find out if Redditch will be put on a Government watchlist – or have a local lockdown imposed on them.

Redditch’s rate is now higher than neighbouring Birmingham – which is already on a watchlist.

The Government graph showing the steep rise in Covid infections in Redditch
(Image: Gov.UK)

Another statistic, the rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 for every local authority area in England, showed a rise in Redditch from four cases per 100,000 to 29.3. The town is now above Birmingham, which has 22.1 cases, down from from 32 last week.

The figures covered the seven days to August 21 and were based on tests carried out in laboratories.

Redditch Borough Council leader, Coun Matt Dormer, took to social media on Tuesday to appeal to residents to “redouble their efforts” to fight Covid.

He said: “I can confirm that the infection rate for Covid-19 across Redditch has increased sharply, going from three cases in a week to 25.

“This large increase does not not appear to be as a result of a single workplace but is happening in the wider community. Therefore I need to appeal to all residents and businesses across Redditch to redouble your efforts to prevent the spread of this disease.

“You must wash your hands regularly, cover your face and maintain social distancing. This includes in our parks and open spaces, shops, restaurants, bars and cafes.

“Given this increase is as a result of community activity it is the responsibility of the community – of each and every one of us – to get it back down again. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Author:

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*