Is Richmond headed for a Coronavirus Lockdown? What the data says October 2020.
After a stable period during June, July and August, the number of positive coronavirus cases in Richmond has been rising. In recent days, the release of new testing data shows that the number of cases increased from an average of 5 a day in early September to an average of 20 a day in early October.
This sounds worrying but we started off with very low numbers of infections and Richmond is still below the wider London and England averages.
The number of people being admitted to hospital with Coronavirus has also begun to increase. This remains significantly below the numbers seen at the peak of the crisis in April.
Whilst it is worrying that the number of cases and admissions to hospital is beginning to rise, we can all take action to reduce our own risks and the risks to others by following the national advice:
- Social distancing
- Reducing the number of close contacts that we have (the rule of 6)
- wearing masks
- washing our hands
It's also vital that people continue to seek care and support when they need it from the NHS, from the Council and from the wider community. There are measures in place to keep people safe at these services.
Richmond Council's free data resource (DataRich) is updated on a daily basis and shows the number of cases recorded in Richmond.
So what does this mean for restrictions in Richmond?
If Richmond faces a lockdown it is likely that this will be as a result of restrictions applied nationally or across London as a whole.
Local restrictions, such as those in Manchester, may give some indication as to what these may look like.
If we do see further restrictions however we’re all better prepared. The services that started up to provide food, medicines and support to isolated people are in place. Treatments now exist and lessons have been learnt that should help to safeguard us from the worst of the impact of both coronavirus and the restrictions.