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Preston’s coronavirus infection rate is going up again and latest on schools reopening date

Posted on - 11th February, 2021 - 8:18pm | Author - | Posted in - Education, Fylde News, Health, Politics, Preston News, Ribble Valley News, Schools, South Ribble News, Wyre News
A bitterly cold morning in Preston on Thursday 11 February Pic: Tony Worrall
A bitterly cold morning in Preston on Thursday 11 February Pic: Tony Worrall

Preston’s coronavirus infection rate has begun to lift week-on-week.

After some solid declines the city’s infection rate, which is the ninth highest in England, has begun to go back up.

New cases confirmed for Thursday (11 February) show Preston recorded 53 cases.

South Ribble saw 32 Covid-19 cases for the same day.

Ribble Valley recorded 14, Wyre saw 27, Fylde recorded 13 new cases and Chorley saw 38 new cases.

Preston’s Covid-19 infection rate is now 339.5 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to February 7, up from 334 cases per 100,000 people for the seven days to January 31.

This keeps Preston within the 10 highest infection rates in England.

See the latest coronavirus cases and information near you

Data for the most recent four days (February 8-11) has been excluded as it is incomplete and does not reflect the true number of cases.

South Ribble’s infection rate is now 282.5 cases per 100,000 people, down from 352 cases per 100,000 people – for the same two date periods as Preston.

Wyre is now down at 164.2, from 239.1 and Fylde is also falling to 204.3, down from 255.

Ribble Valley is now 179, down from 256.2 and Chorley also falls to 208.9, down from 245.3.

Read more: Preston woman urging the city’s South Asian community to have the Covid vaccine

School reopening pressure grows

The Prime Minister is facing growing calls from within his own party to stick to the timetable for school re-opening.

Boris Johnson had said he was aiming for a March 8 date for reopening schools – as long as the vaccine roll-out met the target set to vaccinate 15million people in the priority groups by February 15.

This would be the first relaxation of the lockdown restrictions in England.

In order to meet the Government’s promise of giving teachers, pupils and parents a fortnight to prepare for reopening, Mr Johnson will have to set out his plans on February 22.

But Downing Street would only commit to saying Mr Johnson will set out his road-map out of the lockdown that week – rather than specifically on the 22nd.

Read more: Preston and Lancashire over-70s urged to book a vaccine appointment

On Wednesday, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said it was crucial to ease restrictions “cautiously” and rejected the setting of deadlines.

Conservative former minister Steve Baker, deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) of lockdown-sceptic Tories, said: “Having a full public debate is essential at this time but I fear senior scientists are failing to recognise their power to spread despair and despondency.”

He added: “I look forward to the Prime Minister’s February 22 roadmap out of restrictions so that we can all reclaim our lives once and for all.”

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines

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