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11
Aug 2020
County 'way off' lockdown but 'stay vigilant', says public health director
North Yorkshire’s director of public health has called for people to remain vigilant despite the county being “way off” a local lockdown.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant said the average number of cases of coronavirus in the county remains low, with areas like Harrogate averaging around 10 cases per week.
Currently, 736 cases have tested positive in the district, with 2,601 in the wider county according to Public Health England figures.
But recent local lockdowns in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale have raised concern that similar measures could be taken in the county
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A local lockdown was imposed in parts of West Yorkshire following fears of a second spike in coronavirus infections. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the prevalence of the virus was “likely to be rising” in England.
But Dr Sargeant said the county is “way off” the rate of cases compared with areas on the government’s watchlist, such as Barnsley. The rate of cases in North Yorkshire is currently at around 420 per 100,000 people, but the South Yorkshire town is nearly double that at 821.
However, Dr Sargeant told the Stray Ferret that people should remain vigilant despite the low number of cases. He said:
It comes after, last week, figures from Public Health England showed an increase of six cases in the Spofforth, Burn Bridge and Huby area.
But Dr Sargeant said an increase in testing and the council’s track and trace system has led to the authority tackling cases early.
For him, the method of tackling the virus locally was to test aggressively and investigate further.
Dr Sargeant added that knowing who you are spending time with was a good way of avoiding the virus. He said:
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