Atherstone MP Craig Tracey on new Covid-19 squeezes and the risk of losing newly-regained freedoms

DAILY ALTERATIONS BY GOVERNMENT ARE NECESSARY TRADE-OFF FOR AVOIDING RETURN TO A NATIONAL LOCKDOWN, SAYS OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER

AND THE GOOD NEWS; WE ARE IN A MUCH BETTER PLACE WITH THE VIRUS THAN AT THE OUTSET WITH BILLIONS OF PPE STOCKPILED, TESTING CAPACITY UP 100-FOLD AND NEW TREATMENTS TO AID RECOVERY TIMES

ATHERSTONE MP Craig Tracey has called on townsfolk to "play their part" in sticking by the rules to avoid a return to full lockdown as the Prime Minister slammed the brakes on further easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

The North Warwickshire MP argued there is no room for complacency as the re-imposition of measures to 4.5 million people in northern England including the banning of separate households from meeting at home is a "stark reminder that we have far from defeated this awful virus".

Mr Tracey's comments come in the wake of a two-thirds increase in new infections in the last fortnight – prompting Boris Johnson to cancel further relaxations and announce a crackdown on wearing face masks in more indoor settings backed by a greater police presence to ensure the rules are being obeyed.

Recently regained freedoms may have to be sacrificed with pubs and restaurants at risk of being closed again in a "trade-off" to allow schools to reopen fully next month as chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said getting children back into the classroom is paramount for the "wellbeing of our country".

Casinos, bowling alleys and skating rinks were meant to reopen today, but will remain closed. Pilots of large crowds in sports venues – county cricket, horse racing and world snooker – will not take palace Plans to allow 30 people to attend wedding receptions have been put on hold for at least another two weeks.

Mr Tracey spoke of the impact on the local area to a "still fluid situation" with alterations being made by the Government on an almost daily basis.

He said: "But if we want to prevent another national lockdown and continue to enjoy the freedoms we missed over the past few months, that is the necessary trade-off.

"Government needs to be able to react to the evolving events."

The MP said nationally "significant progress" has been made with only around 100 people being admitted to hospital daily and the number of people in ventilator beds is down to 87 – both well below the peak.

He added: "However, following on from trends we have seen globally, there are also signs here that the R rate is starting to climb and we need to manage this.

"Quite simply, we can't afford to ignore the evidence.

"Locally, were are currently in a good position, but the re-imposition of measures firstly in Leicester and more recently in parts of Manchester, Yorkshire and Lancashire serve as a stark reminder that we have far from defeated this awful virus and if we let down our guard, it will quickly return.

"We can't afford to be complacent.

"I am sure that nobody wants to see Atherstone and North Warwickshire return to a situation of complete lockdown and we can all play our part in ensuring that doesn't become the case, by continuing to follow the Government guidance."

But ending on a "positive" vote, the parliamentarian said: "We are in a far better place to tackle this virus than at the outset as much has been learned over the last few months.

"We have vast stockpiles of PPE (running into the billions), our testing capacity has increased 100-fold and we have new treatments such as dexamethasone and remdesivir which aid recovery times.

"We just need to ensure now that we don't become complacent and continue to follow the Government guidance."

Confirmed cases of coronavirus in Atherstone and North Warwickshire stand at 344 today – up FIVE on a week ago.

New coronavirus cases are on the rise in most parts of the county in the last seven days up to July 28 – with North Warwickshire's increased total rising from three compared with the week before.

The Public Health England table of local authorities shows the rate of new cases – extracted from data – has gone from 4.6 to 7.7. The updated figures are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Government's testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).

In the PHE new case table Blackburn with Darwen heads the list of 316 local authorities but at least its new case rate has fallen from 92.7 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to July 21 to 83.9 in the seven days to July 28. A total of 125 new cases have been recorded.

In mid-June, public health bosses admitted a new peak of Covid-19 infection that led to the closing and deep cleaning of 25 beds at George Eliot Hospital.

But Warwickshire's director of public health Shade Agboola told the local population she wanted to allay "particular anxieties" after seven deaths announced in the space of five days at the Eliot amid reports of upwards of 50 people being treated.

She went on record assure communities that the "small" flare-up incidents of infection increases "are to be expected" after hospital bosses confirmed they are reviewing an in-house transmission of the deadly infection.

The number one public health official added: "This is the phase of the pandemic we are in."

Ms Agboola has been at the forefront of the drive by Warwickshire County Council to not only keep the public informed but asking Atherstone and the rest of the region to "act as ambassadors" and adopt three straightforward messages to continue recognising the potency of the Covid-19 which is "far from over".

The launch of the 'Let's do the Right Thing' is designed to ensure everyone in North Warwickshire is very clear on how to keep individuals and communities safe from coronavirus.

The three steps are:

- Wearing a face covering;

- Getting a test and self-isolating if symptoms present themselves; and

- Keep the concept of social distancing going. Sporting colourful and patterned face coverings, Ms Agboola joined community leaders and local residents on a photoshoot in response to Government guidance around wearing face masks in shops and supermarkets to prevent the spread of Covid-19. That guidance has now been expanded – from next Saturday – to include museums, cinemas, galleries and places of worship. And chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty yesterday gave his starkest warning yet that Britons would have to sacrifice some freedoms in a trade-off to get children back into the classroom in time for the start of the school year – pivotal for the "wellbeing of the country". He said the country had "probably reached near the limits" of what can be reopened", adding: "What that means potentially is that if we wish to do more things in the future we may have to do less of some other things. "But people I think are very clear for example, that schools are an absolute priority for the welfare of children." Relaxing rules further will "absolutely, inevitably" lead to a resurgence of the virus, he indicated. And to stop infections spiralling further, he added: "We either say, 'Actually, we've probably taken this to the limit, we've got to stop now and we may have to pull back a bit to keep this under control', or we do not. "If we do pull back, then we should be able to hold the line, and if we do not pull back and we start having further interactions, then we can expect to see an increase in cases with all the consequences that go with that." ATHERSTONE, NORTH WARWICKSHIRE AND THE COVID-19 FACTFILE.

Atherstone and North Warwickshire have now reported 344 Covid-19 cases at 530.5per 100,000 population – one of the highest rate of any of its neighbouring Midland authorities.

Atherstone and North Warwickshire has seen 83 people lose their lives to the virus between March and June, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

It shows in four of the seven areas of the borough the mortality rates is not falling compared to May's totals.

An additional 11 deaths were recorded in June across Atherstone and district – slightly down on the 13 reported the previous month.

Two thirds who lost their lives died in April.

Warwickshire's total of confirmed cases stands at 2,579 (up 28 in a week) with a rate per 100,000 of 451.7.

The UK case total today is 303,181 (up 880 from the previous 24 hours) with our grim death toll standing at 46,119.

The 24-hour fatality total increased by 120 people across the UK.

Mexico has now passed the UK as the country with the third highest death toll. The North American country reported 688 new deaths on Friday, bringing the total to 46,688. Brazil is in second place with 92,500 recorded fatalities and the US top of the deaths table with 156,752.

This time last month the number of global cases stood at 7.2 million with the death tally is 410,000. Today those figures are 17.78 million and 683,389 respectively.

More than half of those who have tested positive have now recovered (11,177,081).