By Tatiana Zaituni
Bradford could be the next city to go into a local lockdown after a striking increase in coronavirus cases, according to local reports.
The news comes days after the easing of the lockdown in the district, which caused a significant number of people to travel, meet up, and return to work.
Bradford council said footfall in Bradford city centre is estimated to have risen by as much as 60 per cent since non-essential retailers were allowed to reopen their doors on June 15.
Bradford currently has the second-highest infection rate in the UK, though they are still far behind Leicester.
With Rochdale to the west and Rotherham to the south also having some of the highest infection rates in the country, Kirklees must remain cautious as lockdown restrictions ease
Public Health England’s (PHE) weekly report on infection rates for the week ending June 21st, shows Bradford has a rate of 69.44 COVID-19 cases per 100,000.
Due to mounting concerns, the local council has urged people to ‘stay alert’ by following government guidelines.
In another report, PHE has listed 36 areas that are at risk of facing a local lockdown.
Other Yorkshire areas such as Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield are on the list, but strangely Bradford is not mentioned. Whether there will be a lockdown in the Bradford district is yet to be announced.
Councilor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: “No one wants a second lockdown. The virus is still everywhere and in Bradford district so far more than 500 people have lost their lives to this horrible killer.’
“We must all stay vigilant; we don’t want to see the second spike of cases that inevitably would mean more deaths.
“Don’t be conned into thinking it’s all OK now, it’s not. It is crucial that we continue to adhere to government guidelines.”
Professor John Wright, BRI doctor, epidemiologist, and the head of the Bradford Institute for Health Research, stated in a tweet that Bradford needs Urgent care.
“This is such a critical time to keep social distancing, avoid gatherings, maintain handwashing and keep looking after our vulnerable citizens,” he Tweeted.
“The virus is still circulating.”