David Wood blog: Should you be worried about rising coronavirus numbers at universities in the West Country?

The number of positive cases in the West Country is continuing to rise - with university clusters partly to blame.

This week has seen the West Country's infection rate increase yet again.

We started the week, 5 October, with a regional infection rate of around 30 per 100,000 people - a third of the national average - the week before the infection rate was closer to 20 per 100,000.

I should stress that whilst any increase is concerning, rates in the South West are still considerably lower than the UK average.

What has been noticeable this week is that positive tests from university students are a major part in the increase in infections.

It is thought the high number of cases recorded in Exeter is due to large groups of students testing positive.

Exeter as a city now has an overall infection rate above 300 per 100,000, which is sky high compared to our regional average.

However most of the increase is down to an outbreak at the university involving students on campus and in student houses in the city and not a wider community transmission.

For that reason health bosses have urged young people across Devon in particular to adhere to social distancing and other Covid regulations.

The outbreak in Exeter proves how quickly fortunes of an area can change, in the past seven days there have been 395 positive tests in the city (mainly students) but compare that to the week before the figure was 89.

It is likely that the Government will now officially offer any help that the local health bosses feel they need to bring this outbreak under control, however that isn't likely to be a local lockdown.

Bristol University has also recorded high numbers of students with coronavirus, raising the average for the city.

The impact of university students testing positive is also being seen in Bristol. In the past week 119 students at the University of Bristol have tested positive out of almost 320 cases city wide.

Whilst the proportion of the student population testing positive is low, there will be concerns that cases could spiral if any contacts of those who test positive aren't informed quickly and don't isolate.

There have been a few cases related to students in Bath, and in Gloucester, but nothing close to the scale in Bristol and Exeter.

In the House of Commons this morning the Bath MP asked her neighbour - North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the House of Commons - what the Government is doing to ensure student cases in the West Country don't spiral out of control.

Amid the concerns about students testing positive the Labour leader and the party's local council leaders are calling for more local controls over the coronavirus restrictions.

Politicians of all parties are very concerned about the impact of the 10pm curfew for hospitality industries, especially in areas like the West Country where cases are generally low.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees is the latest local leader to call on the Government for more local control of regulations.

On Monday, 12 October, the Government is expected to announce yet more restrictions in the North of England and announce the much anticipated 'tier system' where regions will be placed in one of three levels matching up infection rates with restrictions.

The hope is that these moves will make restrictions easier for all of us to understand and importantly help bring the virus back under control.

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