Preston leader: 'Tier 3 is right for the city at the moment, but we need to talk about schools'

As the Post first revealed earlier this morning, the whole of Lancashire will remain subject to the toughest rules following a government review of the system.

That means hospitality venues will continue to be restricted to takeaway service only and household mixing in all indoor and most outdoor settings will remain banned.

Preston - along with Chorley, Ribble Valley, Wyre, West Lancashire, Lancaster and Burnley - now has a higher rolling seven-day case rate than it did on 26th November, when the first post-lockdown tiering announcement was made.

Crucially, the city also has the highest Covid case rate in the over-60s population of anywhere in Lancashire - 241.4 cases per 100,000 people in that age group, compared to the county average of 179.3 and the England average of 133.0.

That measure was one of the key criteria on which the government based its review.

Preston leader Matthew Brown says that the forthcoming festive season is another reason he backs the Tier 3 decision this time round - having been a critic of the status when it was imposed on Lancashire in the weeks before and after November’s national lockdown.

“It’s not going to be what anybody wants to hear, but with Christmas coming we have got to be cautious. There is probably a third peak of the virus going to hit at some point, so we have got to protect ourselves against that as well.

“Infection rates are rising, especially in older people - so this is the right decision.

“It’s not the same as immediately after the lockdown when those rates were falling,” Cllr Brown said.

However, he called for measures to better drive down the virus in the community, so that Preston and the rest of the county can drop to Tier 2 as soon as possible.

“If we did more around schools, we might be able to tackle the virus in the places where it’s most prevalent.

“I’ve previously called for blended learning and rotas [between remote and classroom learning] - and ensuring that, in class, children wear masks and teachers wear visors.

“Schools are where the infection is, not hospitality - it’s very unfair on local, independent, family-owned businesses that they have to remain shut, because we’re not dealing with schools effectively,” he said.

It has since been announced that secondary schools will move to remote learning from the start of the next term until 11th January, for all years except those where pupils are due to take exams.

Lancashire's representative on the executive of the National Education Union, Ian Watkinson, told the Post earlier this week that there needed to be at least a ten-day period between the end of the Christmas relaxation of the tiering rules and children gathering in class.

However, primary pupils will return as planned on 4th January.

The government also announced earlier this week a programme of mass testing for secondary schools, starting in January.

The Prime Minister said yesterday that the five-day Christmas window will still go ahead. Lancashire's director of public health has urged caution over the permitted household mixing from 23rd December.

"The virus will not be taking a break for Christmas," Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi said.

COVID CASE RATES

Coronavirus cases per 100,000 of the population in the week to 13th Dec (compared to the day Tier 3 decision was made on 26th Nov) - and in the over-60s age band in the week to 11th Dec.

Blackburn with Darwen

233.1 (down from 286.6)

Over-60s - 234.7

Blackpool

159.2 (down from 168.5)

Over-60s - 187.8

Burnley

318.3 (up from 280.0)

Over-60s - 191.9

Chorley

204.7 (up from 190.3)

Over-60s - 225.8

Fylde

120.1 (down from 157.2)

Over-60s - 103.4

Hyndburn

206.1 (down from 266.5)

Over-60s - 169.8

Lancaster

137.6 (up from 123.9)

Over-60s - 141.3

Pendle

257.3 (down from 293.1)

Over-60s - 194.6

Preston

215.2 (up from 199.8)

Over 60s - 241.4

Ribble Valley

231.6(up from 182.3)

Over-60s - 181.8

Rossendale

221.0 (down from 278.4)

Over-60s - 141.4

South Ribble

167.9 (down from 237.4)

Over-60s - 186.3

West Lancashire

187.2 (up from 113.7)

Over-60s 141.5

Wyre

125.8 (up from 119.5)

Over-60s - 169.5

Lancashire overall case average (week to 13th Dec) - 198.9

England overall case average (week to 13th Dec) - 196.3

Over-60s Lancashire average (week to 11th Dec) - 179.3

Over-60s England average (week to 11th Dec) - 133.0

Source: gov.uk