Hospitality businesses in Leicester could be forced to delay any plans to reopen following a localised increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city.
With restrictions around Covid-19 set to begin easing from 4th July across England, Leicester could be an exception as cases have spiked according to Government figures.
The Mayor of Leicester Sir Peter Soulsby said the government has recommended current restrictions in Leicester are to be maintained for a further two weeks. Talking to the Today programme the Mayor added that the city could remain restricted for two weeks longer than the rest of the country.
Yesterday while being interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Home Secretary, Priti Patel said she had spoken with the Health Secretary Matt Hancock about the problem. Patel said that a localised lockdown, and extra support would be going into Leicester.
The Department of Health has sent additional mobile testing sites, PPE, and thousands of extra testing kits to the Leicester area.
The Leicester East Labour MP Claudia Webbe has been extremely critical of Government action to prevent such an outbreak and has said she sees the additional lockdown period being due to a ‘perfect storm’ of poverty alongside higher ethnic diversity.
Consultant Dr Manish Pareek works at Leicester Royal Infirmary and like Claudia Webbe said many of the recent cases were in areas where there are high levels of ethnic diversity, pockets of deprivation and crowded housing with inter-generational and multi-occupancy households.
It is looking like restaurants, pubs and many other hospitality businesses in the Leicester area will now not be reopening on 4th July extending their hardship.
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Hospitality Leicester extended lockdown – 29 June 2020 – Hospitality Leicester extended lockdown