How far away is Sheffield from local lockdown if Covid-19 cases continue to rise?

Sheffield has been listed as an ‘area of concern’ on the Government’s coronavirus watchlist, meaning it is at risk of lockdown should cases continue rising.
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At this stage, no additional restrictions will be put in place. If the situation worsens, the city could be escalated to an area in need of ‘enhanced support’ before a national intervention, which may include a lockdown like the one in Leicester.

One potential lockdown trigger is a high number of cases per 100,000 of the population, although there are other factors to consider, such as the direction of change and where the outbreaks are occurring. If they are in an isolated setting, such as a factory, this is easier to contain than if they were happening in several different communities and settings.

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There is no set level of infection that triggers a local lockdown as context must be taken into account.

Student paramedics receive training to deal with coronavirus patients (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Student paramedics receive training to deal with coronavirus patients (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Student paramedics receive training to deal with coronavirus patients (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

However, Sheffield’s director of Public Health Greg Fell, who is leading the city’s strategy to contain the spread of coronavirus, previously said an infection rate of 50 or higher per 100,000 people would mean extra restrictions would be considered.

According to the latest available data, there were 49 cases per 100,000 people in Sheffield in the seven days to 10 September.

The Welsh Government introduced measures in Caerphilly after it registered 55.4 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people – the highest rate in Wales.

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In Birmingham, where residents are banned from meeting with people from outside their households or support bubble from Tuesday, the infection rate per 100,000 people was 90.3 in the seven days to September 1, up sharply from 35.9 the previous week.