Council warns rising rates could lead to local lockdown when national one ends

Cheshire East Council has issued a warning that Covid-19 rates are continuing to rise, which could result in Cheshire East facing further strict restrictions when the national lockdown ends.

This warning comes as cases for the area reached 248 new cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days.

Leader of Cheshire East Council, Councillor Sam Corcoran, said: "There has been a rise in infections across the region during the past few weeks and this is something we need to address now to avoid increased restrictions being imposed.

"The majority of residents are doing the right thing by adhering to social distancing and travel restrictions, but there are a minority who are undoing all of this good work through complacency and selfishness.

"Covid-19 remains a real threat and we all must work together, or rates will continue to increase which means we could face stricter restrictions.

"Now is not a time to be complacent, we must all think about the consequences of our actions and the implications they can have in the coming weeks and months."

Dr Matt Tyrer, Director of Public Health for Cheshire East Council said: "If you have any symptoms of Covid-19 you must self-isolate immediately and get a test. Typical Covid-19 symptoms to look for include high fever, a continuous cough and loss of taste or smell.

"Residents should also self-isolate and request a test if they experience headaches, unexplained tiredness, muscle and body aches and a sore throat.

"If you experience any of these symptoms you must only leave home to get tested. You should not go into work or carry on with your normal day to day routine whilst waiting for the test results. You must self-isolate until you have them.

"You can book a test online by visiting https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. If you have a positive test or are alerted by a contact tracer, play your part to protect your community by self-isolating for at least 10 days.

"If we make sensible decisions, maybe we can avoid having further localised restrictions imposed on us over Christmas."