Redcar & Cleveland infection rates must fall 'considerably', council leader warns
Residents of Redcar and Cleveland are being warned by the leader of the council that coronavirus infection rates must be brought down soon, if they are to avoid the toughest restrictions when the current national lockdown ends.
The latest figures show that Redcar & Cleveland has the second highest infection rate in the North East, behind Hartlepool.
Mary Lanigan told ITV News that when the government will decide which tier of restrictions different areas of the country will be placed into after the lockdown ends on 2 December, the infection rates will be a key factor that is taken into account.
England will enter a strengthened three-tiered system of local restrictions when the national lockdown ends on December 2, Downing Street has said.
Boris Johnson is expected to detail his plan for winter, which includes details on how families can see their loved ones at Christmas, to MPs on Monday (23 November).
The council leader says coronavirus figures from The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough have doubled over the last two weeks.
She said: “With the levels that we’ve got at the moment they’re going to have to come down considerably before we can move out of the restrictions that we’re in.
Lanigan believes that unless infection rates in the borough fall soon, it is inevitable that Redcar & Cleveland will be placed into the toughest tier of restrictions.
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