Sheffield Covid growth 'two weeks behind North East and North West'
The city's public health chief's given an update
Sheffield's Director of Public Health says Yorkshire's Covid growth rate is only two weeks behind local lockdown areas in the North East and North West.
Greg Fell's given an update on the situation in the city, confirming hospitalisations are increasing and the virus is starting to spread to older people again too:
"Numbers are growing rapidy, numbers are growing across the North of England. Yorkshire is slighty behind the North East and the North West - we're probably two weeks behind where the numbers are in other parts of the North of England.
"But that will change - I'm not expecting the rates will start falling at any time in the next few months.
"There has been a slight uptick in the number of people hospitalised - that's a concern. We're beginning to see transmission among older people, so whilst most of the transmission is in young working age adults, we're beginning to start to see some transmission in older people and that is very very worrying."
Sheffield has been on the government's watchlist for the last two weeks - the latest figures show the city has 47 cases per 100,000 people.
Greg Fell says more vulnerable people are now at risk:
"There is zero chance that we will be able to contain the spread of the virus to only young-ish well-ish people. There will start to be transmission in older people. Whilst most young people will probably be well, our collective responsibility is to keep those who are vulnerable as safe as is humanely possible."
The update comes after the government brought in tighter measures to control coronavirus across England including a 10pm close time for pubs and restaurants and tougher fines for not wearing face coverings.
The new rules take effect tomorrow.