HEALTH bosses in Sandwell have said there has been a 'steady decline' in new cases of COVID-19 after the borough was listed as one of 35 areas in danger of being put back into lockdown.
Figures show the number of new cases has risen in Sandwell after restrictions have eased - the news came as Leicester was hit by a local lockdown after a spike in cases.
There were ten new coronavirus cases in the Sandwell borough from 20-26 June - which was two more than the period from 13-19 June - when eight new cases were recorded.
This means the figure is 25 per cent up.
To date Sandwell has had 1,090 confirmed cases which is a rate of 332.9 per 100k population.
Lisa McNally, Sandwell’s director of public health, said: “Overall there has been a steady decline in cases over the last few weeks in Sandwell (see graph below).
“However, we are continuing to monitor all sources of Covid-19 data on a daily basis so that we can react to any significant trends if and when they arise.
“In the meantime our focus is on supporting local organisations to reduce the risk of outbreaks and manage them when they do occur.”
Sandwell Council's Local Outbreak Plan is available at www.healthysandwell.co.uk/covid19
The plan sets out in detail how the Public Health Team is responding to the challenge of COVID-19 outbreaks.
It includes information on how outbreaks are managed in schools, care homes and workplaces by a seven-day-a-week outbreak response team.
There are explanations about how testing and contract tracing are managed and how to protect the needs of those most vulnerable to COVID-19.
In addition to Leciester, the areas with cases on the rise include:
Barking and Dagenham
Brent
Derbyshire
Doncaster
Ealing
Enfield
Gateshead
Gloucestershire
Hammersmith and Fulham
Haringey
Harrow
Havering
Hounslow
Isle of Wight
Kensington and Chelsea
Medway
Milton Keynes
Plymouth
Portsmouth
Redbridge
Redcar and Cleveland
Richmond upon Thames
Sandwell
Slough
Suffolk
Sunderland
Tower Hamlets
Wakefield
Walsall
Wandsworth
Westminster
Wigan
Wiltshire
Windsor and Maidenhead
York
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