Coronavirus: Video messaging van deployed in Peterborough in wake of high rates of positive tests

In a statement released today Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council said takeaways and some areas of the city, including the city centre, Millfield and New England, would be the focus of efforts to reinforce social distancing messages ahead of re-openings this weekend.

Latest figures show Peterborough currently has the 13th highest level of positive coronavirus tests in the country with 18.9 per 100,000 of population - down from 27.9 the previous week.

Community leaders are also being asked to support efforts to promote safety messages.

Dr Robin, said: “The data that has been published today tells us what we already know to be the case.

“Firstly, the overall trend of cases of coronavirus in Peterborough is downward and both hospital cases and deaths linked to coronavirus are continuing to fall.

“However, we know that our rates of positive Pillar 2 test results have consistently been higher than other areas in the region.

“As a result, last month we increased proactive public health messaging in Peterborough and as of this week we are using postcode level data to target our prevention and outbreak management efforts even further,through our community rapid response team, especially given the reduction of lockdown measures.

“This weekend in particular, with the relaxing of the lockdown measures and places such as pubs and restaurants being able to open, we are focussing our efforts on the city centre and Millfield and New England areas to support communities with advice around social distancing and measures they can take to keep themselves and their friends and family safe.

“This includes working with takeaway outlets to ask them to encourage customers to social distance, deploying a mobile video van and asking community leaders to help share messages.

“In line with our Outbreak Control Plan, we continue to have daily surveillance meetings that monitor cases, outbreaks and health trends in Peterborough and we continue to investigate any concerns with Public Health England to confirm that any outbreaks are identified and well managed.

“Most importantly, we need people to understand that coronavirus is still a part of all our lives and there is a very real risk of a second wave if we don’t all continue to social distance, wash our hands regularly and follow the other public health advice.”

Figures previously released by Public Health England showed there were nearly 28 cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in Peterborough - one of the highest rates in the country in the week ending June 21 and today’s figures for the week ending June 28 show Peterborough has dropped to 13th in the country with figures of 13. Peterborough 18.9 per 100,000.

The figures show the rate of new cases in each area, based on tests that have been carried out in laboratories (‘pillar 1’ of the Government’s testing programme) and in the wider community (‘pillar 2’).

As such the figures gives a more comprehensive overview of the country than the daily figures for local areas that are published on the Department of Health website, which are based only on pillar 1 testing.

Peterborough had a rating however, it is a long way behind Leicester, which leads the table, and has 140.2 cases per 100,000 people in week ending June 21 and that figure was up to 141.3 for the week ending June 28. Leicester has seen its lockdown increase as a result of the high rating.