Plymouth's COVID-19 infection rate appears to have 'stalled'
The city's director of public health says it may be because we've reached a 'natural level' of the virus
The large falls in the Covid-19 infection rate in Plymouth during lockdown appear to have stalled, councillors heard.
Director of public health Dr Ruth Harrell said the average weekly rate in the city was now just below 50 per 100,000 of population.
That was below the current figure of 75 for the South West and well below the England average of 151.
At the peak in mid-January, the rate in Plymouth reached a high of more than 300 per 100,000.
Dr Harrell told a meeting of the city council on Monday afternoon that the new rate put the city was in the lowest 5per cent of areas in the country.
"It does show that the vast majority have been sticking to the rules to keep us all safe."
Dr Harrell said the current rate was the lowest seen in the city during the winter months, describing it as a “massive success for the people of Plymouth”.
But she added that the fall in infections appeared to have now “stalled”.
Dr Harrell said it may be the city had reached a “natural level” of the virus due to the presence of the new variant, the densely populated urban area, and workplaces continuing to operate legally during the lockdown.
She said: “It may be that we have reached a natural plateau at the moment.”
The director added:
“This rate is not low – it’s low in comparison to where we’ve been in the last few months.
“But it’s very much a strong reminder that the virus is very much around us and that it spreads very easily, so we do have to keep up those measures.
“So even with those lower rates, we still need to be very careful with what we do.”
Responding to a question from Cllr Kevin Neil, Dr Harrell said it was important children went back to school, but it was not a signal that things had gone “back to normal”.
Dr Harrell said it was important that parents kept to guidance about maintaining social distancing at the school gates.
The director added: “It does not mean we are back to normal because that one thing may be relaxed.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that schools in England would reopen from Monday, March 8, as part of a series of steps to ease the national lockdown.