'Redouble your efforts,' says health boss as Doncaster Covid rates among highest in country

A Doncaster health boss has urged people to ‘redouble’ their efforts after revealing that the town’s Covid infection rates are among the highest in the country.
Dr Rupert SucklingDr Rupert Suckling
Dr Rupert Suckling

In his weekly update on the coronavirus situation in Doncaster Dr Rupert Suckling, Director of Public Health, confirmed that Covid-19 infection rates are falling – but that the town was still in the ‘national spotlight’ for some of the UK’s highest rates.

He said: “This week we continue to see our infections rate fall slowly from a high over the last two weeks of over 140 per 100,000 down to 84.6 per 100,000 for the period 30 March to April 5.

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“As you may have seen, Doncaster along with a number of it’s neighbours – Barnsley, Rotherham and Wakefield have had one of the highest rates in the country over recent weeks.

“The fact that rates are falling is good, but it’s obviously not so good that we are in the national spotlight so I would ask you to redouble your efforts to try and reduce our rates further.

His warning comes following the reopening of shops, pub beer gardens, hair salons and gyms yesterday.

He added: “It is still critical that we continue to follow the basics – hands, face and space – to ensure that our return to these missed activities are as safe as possible and do not cause a spike in our infection rates that we will regret.

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"It is as vital as ever that we are sensible, adhere to the guidance and not jeopardise our health and those of others. I have written to businesses this week to remind them of the guidance and to encourage a safe return which you have a big part to play in too.

“We still have some work to do to get our infection rates down so please as we enter into the next steps, follow the guidance and consider the risks.”

In Doncaster, since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 820 deaths, while more than 2,000 people have been successfully allowed home after receiving treatment in hospital for coronavirus.