Covid rates in Leeds remain high during lockdown
We put questions to Victoria Eaton, the Director of Public health of Leeds City Council about the current rates in the city.
The Covid rates in Leeds are still high, despite living in lockdown.
They currently stand at 99.7 per 100 thousand people, however the rates in the over 60's have fallen to 38.5.
The amount of positive tests are 4.2%.
Since the pandemic began last year, 1,527 Leeds residents have died from the virus.
Why are cases still high?
Victoria Eaton the director of public health at Leeds city council said:
"The rates have flattened recently, which was expected at the stage of starting to open up schools initially.
"Not because of transmission in school, which we know is really low, but often it's the activity which goes on when children go back to school, often parents go back to work, they socialise more outside the school gates.
"It was the expected trend after the school return."
She continued:
"The rates are going up because we are testing more around schools, around workplaces, it's partly due to the fact we are testing more that they aren't coming down quickly.
Since high school pupils returned to school they've been taken part in lateral flow testing.
In Leeds there are 68,000 secondary students, in the past 3 weeks only 43 tested positive. The director of public health says this won't have effected case rates, but that they will keep an eye on them.
The next stage of the Prime Ministers road map out of lockdown, will allow people to meet in groups of six outdoors from Monday (29th March).
From 12th April beer gardens and gym will open to the public.