Boris Johnson refuses to rule out lockdown for Bolton and Blackburn as cases of Covid-19 Indian variant climb
The Prime Minister has refused to rule out a local lockdown in Bolton as cases of the Covid-19 Indian variant continue to sharply rise.
In the town, which has one of the highest case rates of the variant in the country, mobile testing units have been deployed and door-to-door PCR Covid testing has been offered to 22,000 residents.
A vaccine bus has been set up to increase uptake among those who are eligible and a rapid response team of 100 nurses, public health advisers and environmental health officers has been sent in.
Why the rapid response?
Coronavirus cases almost doubled week-on-week, the latest Public Health England figures show, with the infection rate currently at 192.3 cases per 100,000 people - the highest in the UK.
A total of 553 new cases were recorded in the seven days up to 9 May, compared to 244 the week before.
When asked about the possibility of a local lockdown coming into force to control the spread Boris Johnson refused to rule the option out, and instead said he would do whatever was needed.
He said: "There are a range of things that we could do, we want to make sure that we grip it.
"Obviously there's surge testing, surge tracing, making sure that whenever you have a case you check everybody who has been in contact with that person.
"If we have to do other things, then of course the public would want us at this stage to rule nothing out. We have always been very clear we would be led by the data.
"At the moment, I can see nothing that dissuades me from thinking we will be able to go ahead on Monday and indeed on June 21, everywhere, but there may be things that we have to do locally and we will not hesitate to do them if that is the advice we get."
One response being considered is bringing forward the date for a second dose of vaccine for eligible groups to increase protection.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the situation was being monitored carefully and the Government "will not hesitate to take further action if necessary".
The variant - known as B1617.2 - was labelled a variant of concern by scientists who believe it can spread quicker than others.
It is thought to be at least as transmissible as the variant detected in Kent last year, known as B117, which is the dominant strain in the UK.
Public Health England said there is currently "insufficient evidence" to indicate that any of the Indian variants cause more severe disease.
When asked by journalists how worried the public should be about the rise of the Indian variant, Mr Johnson said: "You are right to raise the Indian variant, or B1617.2 as we must call it - it is a variant of concern, we are anxious about it, it has been spreading.
"At the moment there is a very wide range of scientific opinion about what could happen.
"We want to make sure that we take all the prudential, all the cautious steps now that we could take, so there are meetings going on today to consider exactly what we need to do.
"There is a range of things we could do, we are ruling nothing out, of course."
In response to the rising cases Blackburn with Darwen is also urging those eligible to get vaccinated.
The Lancashire authority has the third highest rate of coronavirus cases in England, with 161 new cases in the seven days up to 9 May.
Council leader Mohammed Khan CBE, chief executive Denise Park, and director of public health Professor Dominic Harrison said: "Whilst the Prime Minister announced this week that we can progress to step three of the Government's road map as planned next week, we need everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to be extra vigilant and proceed with caution.
"The variant first identified in India is more transmissible than other variants, which means it is easily passed on from one person to another."