Downing Street and Cornwall Council deny link between G7 and rise in Covid cases
It follows claims the summit may have been a 'super spreader'
Cornwall Council has stood by its statement that the current spike in Covid-19 cases in Cornwall is not a result of the G7 summit.
There have been claims that the gathering of world leaders in carbis Bay – and the thousands of police, security, staff and press who attended – made the event a “super spreader” as positive cases have risen.
However public health officials and leading councillors have continued to state that the rise is linked with younger people and that there is no link with G7.
Critics have suggested that this is not the case and highlighted that the areas with the highest numbers of positive cases are those which were involved in the G7 – Falmouth, St Ives and Carbis Bay.
When asked again about this today Cornwall Council said it was sticking to its original statement: “Covid-19 case numbers are rising in Cornwall – as they are across the country – due to the new and more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading more readily among unvaccinated people in the 16-29 age range.
“There is no evidence to connect the rise in case numbers to the G7 summit.”
Last week Dr Ruth Goldstein, public health consultant at Cornwall Council, said that the increase was first spotted at the university campus in Penryn.
She said that the majority of positive cases are among the under 30s who may not have been vaccinated yet, worked in hospitality and lived in multiple occupancy homes.
Dr Goldstein said that the council was working closely with hospitality businesses to support them saying that 75 across Cornwall had reported positive cases.
She also asked Cornish residents to triple their efforts against Covid-19 saying that it was essential for people to stick with the hands, face and space guidance but also to ensure good ventilation in places they meet others and to ensure they get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Dr Goldstein said last week that while it was expected that the number of positive cases would continue to rise, the fact that over 18s can now get vaccinated would help to slow the numbers over the next few weeks and months.
Andy Virr, Cornwall Council Cabinet member for public health, told the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Leadership Board on Friday that the spike was not linked to the G7.
Cllr Virr, who is also a consultant in A&E at Treliske, said on Monday: “We remain confident in the advice we have received from our Public Health team. They have undertaken detailed track and trace enquiries on the cases. They speak to the individuals on the telephone. The common theme has been unvaccinated young adults who either live together in shared housing or have been socialising together in homes. The same group are a key workforce in the hospitality business. Hence the impact. Added to this was the huge migration of holiday makers and Cornish residents in and out of the county during half term. It appears the delta variant is much more transmissible. The G7 conference, by contrast, was highly regulated with regular testing throughout their stay.”
Downing Street has also denied that there is any connection between the G7 summit and the rise in positive Covid-19 cases in Cornwall.
A spokesman said: “Attendees going to the G7 were tested before arriving and throughout the summit. We are not aware of any transmission to local residents.”