Residents of Northampton urged to 'take action' as local coronavirus cases rise

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Local public services are urging residents of Northampton to take action against coronavirus as cases in the town rise.

Latest government figures, published on Wednesday, show the coronavirus infection rate in the borough of Northampton (536.5 per 100,000) remains above the England national rate (455.6 per 100,000).

Northampton's infection rate is also higher than the regional average for the East of England, which is 394 per 100,000.

The Northamptonshire Local Resilience Forum, made up of local public services like the NHS and the borough council, said the rate of infections and amount of positive tests in Northampton is increasing.

The Forum said: "This increase in the infection rate means that we need to take action now to prevent further spread of the virus and potential local lockdown measures."

Residents of Northampton are being asked to follow additional guidelines to those being shared nationally. These extra guidelines include keeping two metres apart from others at all times. ( National government advises people to keep a 'one metre plus' distance from others if there are protective measures in place, such as wearing a mask or meeting outdoors. Otherwise, they say people should keep two metres apart.)

Councillor Ian Morris, Portfolio holder for Public Health at Northamptonshire County Council said: “We are concerned that coronavirus cases in Northampton remain higher than we would like them to be, so we are issuing a set of messages to the residents of Northampton to help us to start to reduce the level of transmission."

A mobile testing unit is being deployed in the town centre from July 23 to July 27, enabling more locals to get a drive-through or walk-in test closer to where they live.

Cllr Jonathon Nunn, Leader of Northampton Borough Council added: “We have been urging caution for a number of weeks, but now we are asking for action from our local residents. If we follow the additional advice provided now, and if we are successful in reducing our rate of transmission, we can avoid having to introduce further restrictive measures.”