York not added to government's coronavirus watch list
The city's director of public health says this could be because the government's figures are about a week behind those recorded locally.
York has not been added to the government's coronavirus watch list, despite rising cases putting the city's infection rate above many places that are on the list.
But York's director of public health has offered a possible explanation, saying the government uses figures which are about a week behind those recorded locally.
Local health bosses said earlier this week that York currently has a rate of infection of 61.25 per 100,000 people.
This is higher than areas added to the list this week – including Cheshire West and Chester, which has a rate of 57.3 cases per 100,000 and Cheshire East at 44.9 cases per 100,000.
Scarborough and Selby were added to the watch list last week and have rates of 46.9 per 100,000 and 58.4 respectively this week.
But the government report uses older data – from tests recorded between September 18 and 24 – which gives York a rate of 49.1.
Sharon Stoltz, director of public health, told a council meeting that the government’s figures are about a week behind those recorded locally.
She said:
“Our figures are going up across all indicators.
“But those numbers are increasing from a very low baseline. York up until and the beginning of September was actually showing very low figures.
“The fact that our cases are now going up is obviously a cause for concern.”
She added:
“We are very much dependent on the actions of residents and visitors.
“The only way that we can really keep our levels of infection down are by people being very responsible and following the basic infection control guidelines.”
Ms Stoltz told a council meeting she is lobbying for a second walk in test centre, adding that 80 per cent of appointments are booked by 8am every day at the Poppleton Bar test site.
City leaders encouraged people to follow the guidelines to avoid further restrictions being imposed in York.