Tougher coronavirus restrictions is the "right thing" for Essex says County Council
They hope they will be able to stem the increase if they take action now.
Last updated 13th Oct 2020
Essex County Council is to apply to the Health Secretary to be placed into the new 'High level' banding of Covid-19 restrictions today, 13th October.
It follows discussions with leaders of other councils and MPs regarding the continued rise in coronavirus cases, who support the move.
The number is expected to accelerate unless urgent action is taken according to the county's Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, Dr Mike Gogarty.
Rates are beginning to increase in older age groups too, who are at higher risk of serious consequences of Covid-19, and deaths are also being reported.
If the county is placed under the High level tier, it will mean people must not meet with anyone outside of their household or bubble in any indoor setting.
They must also not meet in a group of more than six outside.
Councillor John Spence, Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, told Greatest Hits Radio it's the right thing to do for the county.
He said: "We obviously regret it, we wish we weren't there. We believe we are doing the right thing, the courageous thing, to take action early to minimise the impact on your lives.
"Every bit of evidence tells us that we're right to go now. Our Director of Public Health is very clear that by going now we will reduce the scale of the outbreak, we will reduce the impact on the economy, we will maximise the scope for people getting back to a normal life sooner rather than later.
"We're seeing hospital admissions rise and fatalities. So, if we act now we will prevent hospitals getting into severe pressure and help those people suffering from other condition like cancer. By acting now, we can prevent going into Tier Three at a later date and thus minimise the disruption to the economy."
Leader of Essex County Council, Councillor David Finch, who also Chairs the Essex Covid-19 Engagement Board, said: "By acting now, we can hope to stem this increase, limiting the time that we are in these enhanced restrictions and – above all – avoiding further escalation into ‘Very High’. All of this will limit the damage to the economy; a healthy economy is critical to everyone having better lives in future.
"We already have one of the best track and trace operations in the country, but we will also be aiming to push its performance still higher alongside strengthening enforcement capacity and visibility. Making these painful decisions now will, we hope, bring dividends later."
Dr Mike Gogarty added: "Across the county we have moved from gradual to exponential growth with number of cases rising exponentially.
"We want to act now to minimise the impact on the public health and the economy and by doing so we believe we can shorten the period of enhanced restrictions."
As of today, 13th October, there are 8,553 cases in the county.