London coronavirus cases falling in 24 boroughs as capital prepares for Tier 2

Coronavirus - Mon Nov 9, 2020
Putting the capital in Tier 2, rather than Tier 3, is understood to have been a “borderline” decision
PA

Covid-19 cases are falling in 24 boroughs, official figures reveal today, as London prepares to move into Tier 2 when lockdown ends on December 2.

Some areas are seeing sharp falls, with confirmed cases down 41 per cent in Wandsworth in the week to November 21 and 35.7 per cent in Camden.

The rolling seven-day rate in London has now fallen for a sixth day in a row, to 177.1 per 100,000 on November 21, from what looks increasingly like a second wave peak on November 15.

Putting the capital in Tier 2, rather than Tier 3, is understood to have been a “borderline” decision.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told BBC Breakfast that, where decision were very close, ministers had asked scientists “what was likely” to happen with the epidemic locally in coming days and weeks, rather than just relying on data around a week old.

Annoucing the tiering allocations in the Commons yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock put the capital on notice that people had to follow social distancing and self-isolating rules or risk being moved into Tier 3.

He stressed: “There is a lot of work to do in London to keep it in Tier 2.”  

He told MPs how some parts of the capital were still seeing cases rise, but in other areas “things are very much going in the right direction”.  

He added: “Likewise, there is pressure in some parts of the NHS, but there is a lot of mutual aid within the NHS across London.”  

Latest figures showed that there were 371 cases in Wandsworth in the week to November 21, down 258 (41 per cent) with a rate of 112.5.

In Camden there were 241 cases, down 134 (35.7 per cent) with a rate of 89.2, Westminster 301 cases, down 122 (28.8 per cent) with a rate of 115.2, Islington 311, down 110 (26.1 per cent) with a rate of 128.3, Hammersmith and Fulham 295 cases, down 102 (-25.7 per cent) with a rate of 159.3, Ealing 701 cases, down 224 (24.2 per cent)  with a rate of 205.1, Richmond 214 cases, down 56 (20.7 per cent) with a rate of 108.1, Kingston 272 cases, down 63 (18.8 per cent) with a rate of 153.2, Sutton 307 cases, down 70 (18.6 per cent) with a rate of 148.8, Barnet 629 cases, down 142 (18.4 per cent) with a rate of 158.9, Lewisham 329 cases, down 73 (18.2 per cent) with a rate of 107.6, and Hillingdon 600 cases, down 126 (17.4 per cent) with a rate of 195.5.

Bexley saw 585 cases, down 119 (16.9 per cent) with a rate of 235.6, Tower Hamlets 746 cases, down 128 (14.6 per cent) with a rate of 229.7, Kensington and Chelsea 205 cases, down 33 (13.9 per cent) with a rate of 131.3, Lambeth 455 cases, down 73 (13.8 per cent) with a rate of 139.6, Southwark 351 cases, down 48 (12 per cent) with a rate of 110.1, Hackney and City of London 448 cases, down 61 (12 per cent), with a rate of 154, Harrow 444 cases, down 60 (11.9 per cent) with a rate of 176.8, Haringey 364 cases, down 46 (11.2 per cent) with a rate of 135.5, Bromley 474 cases, down 58 (10.9 per cent) with a rate of 142.6, Havering 887 cases, down 81 (8.4 per cent) with a rate of 341.7, Waltham Forest 593 cases, down 53 (8.2 per cent) with a rate of 214.1, and Brent 664, down 50 (7 per cent) with a rate of 201.4.

Eight boroughs are still seeing rises, with Newham 797 cases in the week to November 21, up 85 (11.9 per cent) with a rate of 225.7, Redbridge cases 923, up 74 (8.7 per cent) with a rate of 302.4, Barking and Dagenham 563 cases, up 38 (7.2 per cent) with a rate of 264.4, Greenwich 545 cases, up 31 (6 per cent) with a rate of 189.3, Merton 368 cases, up 17 (4.8 per cent) with a rate of 178.2, Hounslow 546 cases, up 16 (3 per cent) with a rate of 201.1, Enfield 723 cases, up 17 (2.4 per cent) with a rate of 216.6, and Croydon 621 cases, up five (0.8 per cent) with a rate of 160.6.

Boris Johnson defended the new tiering, warning of the risks of a third national lockdown if restrictions were eased too much.

However, the decision to impose tough restrictions on 99 per cent of England has prompted a furious reaction with the Prime Minister facing a Tory revolt, possibly of up to 70 MPs.

As the row grew:

Mr Jenrick admitted that the Government had a job to convince dozens of Tory MPs to support the new system.

In Kent there was dismay at putting the whole county into Tier 3 when there were large difference in the infection rate across the area.

With parts of the county bordering Tier 2 areas, North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale told Sky News he feared people would “skip over the boundary” to go to visit a pub.

Former cabinet minister Liam Fox and John Penrose, husband of NHS Test and Trace boss Baroness Dido Harding, criticised the move to place their North Somerset constituencies into Tier 3, having previously only been in Tier 1.

They said the reason used, due to the amount of workers in the area who commute to Bristol which has seen a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, “isn’t right or fair”.

The Government has promised to publish an impact assessment of the measures before MPs vote on them on December 1.

However, former de facto deputy prime minister Damian Green, MP for Ashford in Kent, branded the health analysis used so far as “hazy” and stressed the lack of economic impact assessments.

A mass testing centre is being set up at the University of St Andrews in Scotland today to offer students Covid-19 tests ahead of the Christmas holiday. 

Latest figures show a further 498 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, and there were another 17,555 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

More than 55 million people will be placed into Tier 2 and Tier 3 measures when the second national lockdown ends on December 2, meaning mixing between households indoors will effectively be banned for the vast majority of the country.

Only the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, accounting for little more than one per cent of England’s population, face the lightest Tier 1 coronavirus restrictions.

Large swathes of the Midlands, North East and North West are in the most restrictive Tier 3, which accounts for 41.5 per cent of the population, or 23.3 million people.

The majority of authorities will be in Tier 2, which will cover 57.3 per cent of the country, or 32 million people.

Out of those areas to go into Tier 3, only eight of 119 have reported a rise in cases.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs, said the decision would make it “harder” to push the measures through Parliament.

In Tier 1, the rule of six applies indoors and outdoors but in Tier 2 there will be a ban on households mixing indoors, and pubs and restaurants will only be able to sell alcohol with a “substantial meal”.

Tier 3 measures mean a ban on households mixing, except in limited circumstances such as in parks.

In these areas, bars and restaurants will be limited to takeaway or delivery services and people will be advised to avoid travelling outside their area. Shops and schools will remain open in all tiers.

Some MPs were left angered after seeing their areas escalated up two tiers compared to their status before the November lockdown.

A review of the tiers is scheduled for December 16 but the Times reported the Government is not expecting to make any changes until the new year.

Calum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at Liverpool University, said if people wanted to see their family at Christmas then they had to accept harsher rules.

“People want to have five days of fun over Christmas. If they want that wriggle room, they really have to accept stricter restrictions in the run-up to Christmas,” he told Newsnight.

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