Leeds added to coronavirus watchlist for areas of concern amid sharp spike in cases

Leeds has been added to Public Health England’s weekly watch list of areas of concern for Covid-19, the city council said
AFP via Getty Images
Rebecca Speare-Cole4 September 2020

Leeds has been added to Public Health England's watchlist for areas of concern after a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

Announcing the addition to the watchlist on Friday, Leeds council said the latest seven-day infection figures show the city as having a rate of 32.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The council also said the city has a positivity rate on testing of 3.5 per cent.

“The latest data suggests that a lot of the cases are in different areas of the city, meaning they may be linked to social interaction and leisure activities," a council spokesman said.

"The spread is broad and changeable across wards and cases have also been increasingly detected in younger people aged 18-34, with some concern over activities like house parties and gatherings.”

Being on the areas of concern list will not mean any further restrictions on Leeds at this stage.

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However, it does mean increased monitoring of cases in the city and potential additional steps in future if its infection rates do not start to fall.

Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council and chair of the city’s Outbreak Control Board, said: “We have been working tirelessly with our partners and communities, doing everything within our power to keep the spread of this virus under control and to ensure Leeds stays open.

“However, we can’t accomplish that alone and this rise in infection rates means that inevitably, our window of opportunity is shrinking by the day and the city is rapidly approaching a tipping point.

“We completely understand that these past six months have put a tremendous strain on everyone in Leeds and that being able to get out, socialise and enjoy ourselves has provided a massive lift.

“But it is absolutely crucial that if we want to continue to do that, we all do it sensibly and responsibly and follow the latest guidance which is there to keep us all safe.”

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