Sheffield no longer requires ‘enhanced support’ as infection rate continues to fall

Sheffield was originally identified as one in three locations ‘requiring enhanced support’ in a secret Government document that was leaked and published by the Guardian.

Although the city is still named as one of 12 ‘areas for concern’ in PHE’s latest Weekly Surveillance Report, it no longer features in the ‘requires enhanced support’ category- showing infection rates are falling.

‘Areas of concern’ are described in the report as those with ‘the highest prevalence’ and ‘where the local area is taking targeted actions’ such as ‘additional testing in care homes and increased community engagement with high risk groups’.

Last week Sheffield’s director of Public Health Greg Fell made a move to reassure residents that the city was ‘nowhere near' a Leicester-style lockdown.

However, he added that rates were ‘reasonably low, but not low enough’.

The city’s infection rate for every 100,000 people per week is between 11 and 12, Mr Fell said.

It is understood a threshold of 50 weekly positive tests per 100,000 of the population could trigger special measures.

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