Coronavirus rates in South-west London decline
By Sian Bayley, Local Democracy Reporter
Coronavirus rates in South-west London have fallen in the past week, according to the latest data published by Public Health England.
It is an early sign that Tier 2 restrictions, imposed before the current lockdown, were beginning to slow the spread of the virus.
For the week October 26 to November 1, Kingston had a rate of 144.22 cases per 100,000 people.
While still high, it is a big drop from the previous week’s figure of 196.61 cases per 100,000 people.
Richmond and Wandsworth have also seen a drop in rates.
The latest data for Richmond shows a case rate of 134.84 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 162.61 the week before.
In Wandsworth, the case rate is 123.76 per 100,000 people compared to 158.64.
Leader of Richmond council, Gareth Roberts, said: “We know that when the capital moved into the high tier just two weeks ago, that this had a beneficial effect on slowing the rate of infection across the capital, and it is very much hoped that this new lockdown will have a similar effect.
“Therefore it is absolutely vital that if we are to return to any sense of normalcy that we follow all of the lockdown rules.”
Commenting on the new national lockdown, which came into effect yesterday (November 5), Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, cautioned that “high infection rates lead to increasing hospital admissions.”
He said: “The next four weeks of national restrictions provides an opportunity to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in London at the start of the crucial winter period.
“Londoners have a history of pulling together in times of need and it’s important that we do the same again to make these weeks really count.
“We have all made sacrifices recently but we need to keep going to reverse the trends and projections we have been seeing.
“To keep us all safe this winter, the best advice is to stay at home where you can, wear a mask in public spaces, maintain your social distance and regularly wash hands.
“Remember to get a test and self-isolate if you have any symptoms suggestive of coronavirus.”
Pictured top: Coronavirus rates in South-west London have fallen
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