RESIDENTS have been warned they risk sending St Helens “back to square one” if they do not take the coronavirus rules serious over Christmas, as infection rates begin to creep up.
Over the weekend the government scaled back plans to allow households to form ‘Christmas bubbles’, allowing it only on Christmas Day itself rather than five days as planned.
This follows a surge in cases in London and parts of the South East, which is believed to be driven by a new variant of Covid-19 that is even more infectious.
READ >1,000 people now vaccinated against Covid-19 in St Helens
Locally, Covid-19 infection rates across the entire Liverpool City Region have started to rise, although St Helens only saw a small increase.
In the week ending December 17, St Helens’ infection rate was 125 per 100,000 population, up from 123.3.
Wirral’s infection rate doubled, jumping from 66.2 to 120, while Liverpool’s went from 93.4 to 138.8.
Halton recently overtook St Helens as having the highest rate in the city region, and has seen its rate jump from 128.5 to 165.1.
Taken as a whole, the Liverpool City Region’s infection rate jumped from 90 to 127.4.
In response to the rise, Cllr Anthony Burns, St Helens Borough Council’s cabinet member for public health, leisure, libraries and heritage, said: “As a borough we have done so well to drive cases down considerably in recent weeks which have now slightly crept back up again.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to remind residents of the seriousness of following the rules, which are in place for a reason, over the Christmas period.
“We’re all in this together and have sacrificed so much this year, so we don’t want to go back to square one.”
Separate data published by St Helens Borough Council shows a breakdown of which wards saw the most cases in the seven days up to December 15.
Newton recorded the highest number of infections in the borough, with 34, while neighbouring Earlestown recorded the second highest number of positive cases (20).
In terms of age, the highest number of cases were recorded in people aged 30 to 44, with 56, followed by 45 to 59 (53).
The majority of positive cases recorded in the seven days to December 15. (52.47 per cent) continue to be found in women,
Residents who have not shown any symptoms of Covid-19 are being urged to go and get tested in one of the borough’s three mass testing sites.
Sites are now up and running at St Mary’s Market, at the rear entrance, Chester Lane Library and Community Centre in Sutton, and Grange Valley Youth Centre in Haydock.
Cllr Burns said: “We’ve had a good uptake at our community testing centres, which I would encourage residents to continue using, every five days as advised by our public health experts.
“Go and get yourself tested before Christmas Day for peace of mind, safe in the knowledge that, if you have plans to mix with others safely on that day, you’re negative and therefore unable to infect others potentially at risk of serious illness if they were to catch this deadly disease.
READ > School mass testing timing a 'slap in the face', says De La Salle head
“If you are to test positive you can take the necessary steps to reduce the spread to others by isolating.
“Please continue to follow guidance around keeping any indoor spaces ventilated you share with others outside your household, keep washing your hands and regularly used surfaces and try to keep distance as best you can in others company.”
For more information, click here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel