Preston Council leader, Matthew Brown has joined the calls for a national circuit breaker lockdown.

The call comes following the introduction of the three-tier system which began today (Wednesday, 14 October).

Preston and Lancashire is currently in tier-two, however, there is already pressure by the government for Lancashire to be placed into tier-three, which would see much stricter restrictions in place – such as those in the Liverpool City Region.

Read more: 78 new coronavirus cases as Preston to see new Covid alert restrictions

A circuit breaker lockdown could involve a shorter two or three week national lockdown to help bring down the infection rates, and is being called for by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Councillor Matthew Brown said: “My personal view is the only way we can tackle Covid-19 now is a two to three week national lockdown as outlined by Keir Starmer, with proper protections for workers and local business with a properly resourced test and tracing and accompanying infrastructure to bring the cases down.

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“The situation is critical and despite government failings we continue to lobby hard for the best deal for Preston.

“In the meantime we must double our efforts to follow the regulations, be vigilant and do everything we can to look after each other. Please take the opportunity to read the latest guidance on Preston City Council’s website.”

Read the full opinion piece by Councillor Matthew Brown here, writing exclusively for Blog Preston.

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines

What do you think about Councillor Brown’s comments? Let us know in the comments.