LOCAL LOCKDOWN SPIKE
Matt Hancock reveals over 100 coronavirus local lockdowns being enforced every WEEK sparked by dozens of new outbreaks
MORE than 100 local lockdowns are happening every week sparked by dozens of new outbreaks, Matt Hancock said.
The Health Secretary said the localised spikes in Covid-19 are being dealt with “swiftly and silently” by shutting down areas and installing new testing regimes.
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Pubs, schools and businesses across the country have been hit by flare ups just days after reopening.
Mr Hancock revealed increased testing - including door-to-door examinations and more portable walk-in centres will take place to combat 100 outbreaks every week.
He also confirmed the lockdown imposed on Leicester – the first UK city to have been forced to shut down again - will be reviewed.
Downing Street is expected to stop short of temporarily taking control over the city but will instead announce closer monitoring of local authorities, it has been reported.
Writing in the , the government minister said that local interventions by the government are now more than 100 every week.
He insists that over 300,000 tests are being carried out every day insisting Number 10 will “hunt down the virus” by shutting down every individual spike.
LOCAL LOCKDOWNS
Mr Hancock wrote: “Each week there are over a hundred local actions taken across the country – some of these will make the news, but many more are swiftly and silently dealt with.
“This is thanks in large part to the incredible efforts of local authorities – all of whom have stepped up and published their local outbreak control plans in line with the end of June deadline.”
The UK has the highest testing capacity in Europe which Hancock says has helped the government “take more targeted local action and less national lockdown...”
Hancock's disclosure about local spikes of Covid-19 following the easing of restrictions comes as Boris Johnson has urged workers to return to their offices and help boost the UK economy.
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On Sunday, another 650 cases of infections and 21 deaths related to Covid-19 were confirmed in the UK meaning the country's overall death toll is creeping further towards 45,000.
Door-to-door testing is being rolled out in the worst-hit areas of Leicester where every single resident will be taking part.
According to The Telegraph, this method of blanket testing in towns will become more common across the country in the coming months in a bid to snuff out outbreaks.
Portable walk-in centres, home delivery of testing kits and information campaigns about testing are also being trialled.
Meanwhile, the country's single biggest outbreak of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic has seen 73 farm workers at a site in Herefordshire test positive for the bug.
The outbreak in Mathon near Malvern is being closely monitored by PHE Midlands, with 200 workers now forced to isolate in mobile homes on the farm.
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The mass testing was carried out after some workers - many of whom are from eastern Europe - showed symptoms.
Pictures from the site in Herefordshire show police officers wearing protective face masks while guarding the gates at both the entrance and the exit.
Karen Wright, Herefordshire Council’s director of public health, said the situation was now “contained” and she was “not concerned at all” about any danger to the wider community.
The dozens of new cases at producers AS Green and Co comes during harvesting season, where workers come and live on site on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border.
During the busy summer season they spend their days picking and packing vegetables - supplying stores such as Tesco, Aldi and Sainsbury's.
Katie Spence, PHE Midlands Health Protection Director, said: “A small number of workers became symptomatic earlier this week and they and a few close contacts among the workforce were tested initially and found to be positive.
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"In line with NHS guidance, affected individuals were asked to self-isolate for seven days, with their households and close contacts asked to isolate for 14 days.
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“As we have seen a global trend of large food producers being subject to outbreaks, as a precautionary measure, the decision was made to test the entire workforce.
";The initial batch of results showed a significant percentage of positive cases, despite these individuals being asymptomatic."
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Leicester to stay in lockdown for another TWO WEEKS