City 'faces lockdown extension' amid Covid surgepublished at 19:36 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Leicester's mayor says current coronavirus restrictions may remain in place for an extra fortnight.
Read MoreCity 'faces lockdown extension' amid Covid surgepublished at 19:36 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Lockdown extension: Leicester still waiting for answerspublished at 18:36 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Tim Parker
BBC Radio Leicester reporterWe will hopefully get a statement from the government through the Health Secretary saying "here is our advice to Leicester".
If it is a case of extending our lockdown there needs to be something in place to help our city manage that over the next couple of weeks.
Image source, AFPHow is this going to be policed? What are we expected to do in Leicester if we live within that area or the area defined by the government?
We're looking forward to getting answers in the statement later tonight.
My best guess is that we will be asked to be patient for a couple more weeks on the lockdown until we can catch up with the rest of the country.
Delay to Health Secretary's statementpublished at 17:28 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC NewsWe've now been told the Covid-19 briefing from Matt Hancock, expected to include details of a potential lockdown extension in Leicester, will be much later.
No time has yet been given.
Matt Hancock to give update shortlypublished at 16:54 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC NewsHealth Secretary Matt Hancock is due to give a Covid-19 briefing in the House of Commons just after 17:00.
It is expected to include details of a potential extension to the lockdown in Leicester.
We'll post an update as soon as we know what that could look like and what measures will be taken.
Image source, PA MediaLeicester lockdown: County will have to 'wait and see'published at 16:46 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC NewsThere has been confusion and questions over how a potential extension of lockdown restrictions would work across Leicester and the Leicestershire county boundary.
Mike Sandys, director of public health in Leicestershire, said a "huge amount of new information" needs analysing before a decision is made.
Image source, Getty ImagesResponding to a question about what measures might be in place, he told BBC Radio Leicester: "I'm not picking up a full March 23-style lockdown but clearly there have been some discussions about whether things that were going to be eased off on 4 July will be deferred in the city for a week or two, however long that might be.
"What that might mean for the county, I think we will just have to wait and see."
Sweet shop owner says customers are 'very scared'published at 15:20 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
PA MediaThe owner of Ye Olde Sweet Shop in Leicester city centre, told the PA news agency that further restrictions would affect him "financially very, very badly".
Rakesh Parmar said: "The impact of coronavirus hit us on 23 March, we closed for 10 weeks, and then opened again on 15 June - it's been one long slog."
Image source, GoogleMr Parmar said he "completely" understood why a further lockdown would be needed.
Asked how his customers were feeling, he said: "Very, very scared because it's closer to home than we realised.
"Then it's the uncertainty of who the carrier is."
City left 'in limbo' by lockdown extension planpublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Pubs and restaurants in the city could remain closed for two extra weeks due to a spike in cases.
Read MoreLeicester lockdown: 'This is uncharted territory'published at 15:17 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Rob Sissons
East Midlands Today ReporterA video conference call is taking place right now between Leicester mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, Health Secretary Matt Hancock and health officials.
They are discussing the way forward and the possible extension of local lockdown restrictions in Leicester.
Image source, Getty ImagesThis is uncharted territory. Local lockdowns are part of the government strategy for putting out the fires, if you like, of a rise in local coronavirus cases but with pubs and hairdressers getting ready to reopen at the weekend, that's not very far away.
It's still not definite whether this extension will go ahead or not but there has been a lot of mixed messages and people have been very confused here in Leicester.
School staff member tests positive for coronaviruspublished at 14:53 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Amy Orton
Local Democracy ReporterSome pupils at a Leicestershire school won't go back to class until September after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
Reception and year one classes at Eastfield Primary in Thurmaston have been closed for the next two weeks.
Parents and carers were sent a letter over the weekend explaining a shortage in staff means pupils in the affected year groups won't be able to go into school.
Image source, GoogleThe school has reassured parents that it believes children had no direct contact with the staff member.
In the letter, which appears on the school's website, she said: "It is believed that the member of staff contracted Covid-19 outside of school. This member of staff is now self-isolating.
"Following guidance, further members of staff who believe they have come into contact with this adult will also now need to self-isolate for 14 days.
"Having spoken to Public Health England, they have assessed the risk to the children in school as being very small. We believe that the children have had no direct contact with this adult."
The school, on Eastfield Road, is still open for key worker groups, preschool and year six pupils.
Leicester City will 'react accordingly' to measurespublished at 14:46 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC NewsLeicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says his side "will react accordingly" if lockdown measures in the city are extended.
Image source, PA MediaWith suggestions further measures might be necessary, Rodgers said: "Nothing has changed in terms of how we have been working thus far in this situation but I've always said we will react accordingly.
"We have to have agility in this period."
The Foxes are due to play Crystal Palace at home on Saturday.
Rodgers himself contracted the virus in March, saying he suffered with "breathlessness" and had lost his sense of taste and smell.
Union backs lockdowns after 'extremely worrying' spikepublished at 14:06 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Amy Woodfield
BBC NewsUnite, which claims to be the largest trade union in Leicester, has spoken in favour of targeted lockdowns across the city.
Regional secretary for the East Midlands, Paresh Patel, said: "This spike in coronavirus cases across the city is extremely worrying.
"Everyone needs to now play their part in getting this under control as rapidly as possible with localised lockdowns as necessary.
"Everything that can be done must be done to protect the public's health and to avoid layoffs and even more damage to an already badly damaged regional economy."
Soulsby: 'No reason to pick on Leicester'published at 13:57 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC NewsSir Peter Soulsby said that during a meeting with health secretary Matt Hancock this afternoon he will tell him "there is no reason to pick on Leicester".
He said any delay to the relaxation of lockdown in the city would have an impact on the economy and businesses.
"I would hope that he will recognise that it's not a case that has been made for imposing restrictions on Leicester where other places are allowed to begin to get back and up and operating," he said.
Image source, PA MediaAsked by PA News if there was a specific area of Leicester the report had identified as having a higher number of cases, the Labour mayor said: "It certainly suggests there are some wards in Leicester that have higher rates than others.
"But I've said to them on a number of occasions that actually the wards of Leicester don't tell you very much about the neighbourhoods and communities in Leicester, and I have said to them surely they have the data at street level and neighbourhood level and community level but as yet that's not the way that they've been looking at it or presenting it to us."
The pair are due to meet this afternoon, with Matt Hancock expected to address MPs later today.
Leicester lockdown plans: What do we know so far?published at 13:32 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Sandish Shoker
BBC News
Image source, AFPAn extension to the lockdown in Leicester has not yet been confirmed but here is what we know so far about a potential further two-week closure:
- MP Boris Johnson said there are "concerns" about Leicester but he is "not concerned about a local outbreak".
- The city's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has called the situation "unclear" and asked the government for details on what difference a local lockdown would make.
- The Leicester East constituency, where the number of cases has spiked, is an area with high ethnic diversity, deprivation and crowded housing.
- Businesses preparing to reopen on Saturday have voiced their fears about potentially having to stay shut.
Soldiers seen at Leicester Covid-19 testing sitepublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Neil Heath
BBC News OnlineSoldiers from the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) have been pictured at a mobile coronavirus testing site at Evington Leisure Centre in Leicester this morning.
Neil Hamilton-Brown, from Leicester City Council, said the military have been "supporting the national effort".
Image source, gettyThere has been a surge in Covid-19 cases in the city which led to Home Secretary Priti Patel confirming the government was considering a local lockdown.
However, Sir Peter Soulsby, the city's mayor, said government advice was "very different" to this overnight, but he added the city's pubs and restaurants could stay closed for two more weeks.
Soldiers have also been helping the running of a testing centre at Spinney Hill Park.
Image source, PA MediaMayor questions Leicester lockdown impactpublished at 12:54 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Alex Smith
BBC News OnlineLeicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has questioned the effectiveness of a local lockdown amid talks restrictions may have to stay in place for another two weeks following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
On extending the current measures, he told PA news agency: "What we still don't have - whether it's lockdown or restrictions - is any explanation as to why on Earth you would do it and why you would do it here in Leicester."
Asked to outline the businesses that would not be able to reopen on Saturday if the recommendations were implemented, Sir Peter said: "I think it's very unclear as to what difference it would make if they continue the regulations in Leicester and why you would do it.
"How can it possibly make any difference? If the virus is out of control and spreading in Leicester with the restrictions, I can't understand how extending them for a further two weeks would make any difference to that.
"Frankly, we need to have an explanation - but more importantly we need some collaboration with the government so that we don't hear about these proposals either through announcements briefed to the media over the weekend or emails that come in at one o'clock in the morning."
Prolonging Leicester lockdown 'could spread virus further'published at 12:45 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Amy Woodfield
BBC NewsAn academic fears prolonging the lockdown in Leicester could result in more coronavirus cases on the outskirts of the city.
Image source, GoogleDr Duncan Robertson, from the School of Business and Economics in Loughborough, said: "Pubs might not open in Leicester but if you're desperate to go to the pub, what do you do? You just go to 'not-Leicester' just on the boundary.
"Of course that raises the prospect of it potentially spreading even further."
Factors which led to Leicester surge 'a perfect storm'published at 12:10 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Neil Heath
BBC News OnlineAn academic clinician from the University of Leicester has said the factors which led to the surge in Covid-19 cases is a "perfect storm" for the virus to spread.
Dr Manish Pareek, a consultant at Leicester Royal Infirmary, said many of the recent cases were from "inner-city areas... which have high levels of ethnic diversity, pockets of deprivation but also quite crowded housing with inter-generational and multi-occupancy households".
"It brings together a number of factors which are almost like a perfect storm for a virus to be spread within," he added.
In April, Dr Pareek raised concerns over the lack of recorded data on the number of Covid-19 deaths of people from BAME backgrounds.
Leicester spike 'due to more community data'published at 12:02 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Amy Woodfield
BBC NewsA spike in coronavirus cases in Leicester is being put down to more data being gathered from the within the community.
There have been 2,987 positive cases in Leicester since the pandemic began, with 866 of those confirmed in the city in the last two weeks up to 23 June.
Image source, Getty ImagesIvan Browne - the director of public health for Leicester - said: "What we've got to recognise is previously, people would have seen lots of data about people who had gone into hospital.
"We've only just started to get details of what it looks like from people who are getting tested within the community and that data is just starting to come through to us.
"The way that Leicester is structured, we have people going to local schools, the supermarket, to work, so it's not necessarily that those are the point source but of course we're going to get people that go there so there will be cases there."
Analysis: Get used to local flare-upspublished at 11:53 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Nick Triggle
Health CorrespondentWe should get used to these local flare-ups - they are going to become a way of life over the coming months.
Given the amount of virus still around - there are still around 1,000 positive tests every day across the UK on average - there will be clusters developing as people return to something near normal life.
What's important is that they are brought under control quickly and don't spread.
The fact a local outbreak has been identified in one part of Leicester suggests the system is working to some extent - although it's fair to ask whether it could have been spotted more quickly given cases have been growing for a number of weeks.
With extra testing facilities parachuted in, officials will be desperately trying to get a clear idea of just how far it has spread so delaying the further easing of restrictions is the logical step.
If more cases keep emerging, a local lockdown will be on the cards.
Should it be like this? Some argue we should have suppressed the virus further before easing - essentially going for elimination like New Zealand.
But for a country like the UK where the virus had spread further before lockdown and with its size of population and packed cities that is somewhat harder.
Leicester officials and government to meet laterpublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 29 June 2020
Gavin Bevis
BBC NewsSir Peter Soulsby said it was unclear whether the government had the power to impose a local extension to current restrictions if the city council did not feel it was necessary.
"I would hope they wouldn't do that without discussing it properly with us and getting us to agree it," he said.
He said as it stood, the government had not done enough to convince him the measure was needed.
"At the minute they haven't provided any evidence to show it's necessary," he said.
A meeting between council officials and representatives from the government was due to take place this morning but has been pushed back to later in the day.
Image source, Getty Images