TAKING THE STRAIN
TENS of thousands of people have been urged to take “extra special precaution” after the South African Covid variant was detected in their area.
A door-to-door testing blitz on up to 350,000 people has been launched in a number of postcodes to stop the spread of the more easily transmitted strain.
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It came after 11 rogue cases of Covid’s South African mutation were found in the UK.
Officials have been unable to link any of the infected Brits to foreign travel, suggesting they picked it up from others on British soil.
In total, 105 cases of the South African strain have been found in Britain since late December.
The Health Secretary said cases had been identified in the following areas: East of England (EN10) , London (W7, N17, CR4), North West (PR9) , South East (ME15, GU21) , West Midlands (WS2).
Speaking last night at the No 10 briefing, Matt Hancock pledged to “come down hard” on the strain with an intensified testing programme in the eight postcodes and enhanced contact tracing.
The lockdown rules remain the same over the whole of England, but a minister has warned today residents should abide by restrictions "to the letter" given the UK is at a "perilous" stage in the pandemic.
Asked if people living in the affected postcodes should follow different rules, Michelle Donelan told Sky News “we’re all in lockdown”.
"But the message is 'think again' just before you go about activities”, she warned.
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MINIMISE SOCIAL CONTACT
The Health Secretary said last night that people in the eight areas must take "extra special precautions" amid the threat of an outbreak of the new, highly-infectious variant.
Speaking at Monday night’s Downing Street press conference, he added: 'The stay at home message is there for everyone but in particular in those areas, it's absolutely vital that people minimise all social contact.”
The current rules say you can exercise with one other person and stay two metres apart.
But Mr Hancock has stressed that people should see the absolute minimum of people outside of their household.
TAKE THE TEST WHEN OFFERED
Each local authority has developed its own strategy for managing the surge testing to weed out any cases of the South African variant.
Some will open new testing sites or mobile units, others are providing door-to-door testing and sending out more home test kits.
The Government is encouraging everyone over 16 living in the eight zones to take a test this week.
Mr Hancock told the public from the briefing to “get a test when the opportunity arises”.
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All over-16s will be targeted regardless of whether or not they have symptoms - one in three people with Covid have no signs.
Although the test is voluntary, Rowland Kao, a professor of veterinary epidemiology and data science, University of Edinburgh, said identifying clusters of the variant, and stopping its spread, is “highly dependent on individuals taking up those tests”.
The Government has said people with symptoms should book a test in the usual way, .
How testing will work in each authority
- In Hertfordshire, residents of the EN10 area of Broxbourne can either book a test at one of two sites or collect a home testing kit for all members of the household. The director of public health for Hertfordshire, Professor Jim McManus, said they would be starting door-to-door testing this week.
- In Kent, door-to-door testing in the ME15 area will begin on Tuesday and residents will be visited by staff including from Kent Police, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent Fire and Rescue.
- In Surrey, residents of selected parts of Woking in the GU21 postcode will be visited by a member of the council’s testing team who will leave enough kits for all members of a household aged 18 or over to carry out a test.
- In Tottenham, in the borough of Haringey, teams will go door-to-door offering home testing kits and a mobile testing unit for people who do not have symptoms will also be set up.
- Residents in Hanwell, Ealing, will be able to use a variant walkthrough testing centre and the council will also begin a door-to-door delivery of home test kits to all households.
- In Mitcham, Merton, South London, thousands of extra tests will be available, with some delivered door-to-door in the affected area.
- Households in Walsall, West Midlands, will be provided home test kits and testing units will be deployed offering testing to those living or working in the WS2 area.
- In Southport, Merseyside, Sefton Council has said locally-led test kit door drops will be provided alongside existing testing. Additional mobile testing units will also be supplied, which people without symptoms are asked to use.
WORK WITH NHS TEST AND TRACE
The Government website says: “If a person tests positive, has any symptoms, or are contact traced following contact with someone who tests positive, they should self-isolate immediately.”
If you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, it's imperative that you work with them to reduce the spread of the virus.
They may tell you that you’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive and therefore need to self isolate for 10 days.
If you have tested positive, the NHS workers will ask you to provide the contact details of anyone you know to have been in contact with, such as at work.
Mr Hancock said “enhanced contact tracing” will be used to “stop those chains of transmission” but gave no further details.
The 11 rogue cases are self-isolating and “robust contact tracing” has taken place to find anyone who has been near them, the Government said.
Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology, University of Reading, said: “Anyone testing positive for the coronavirus must isolate to stop the spread.”
DON’T TRAVEL
People in England should not leave their home unless for reasonable reasons, outlined on the Government website.
If you are exercising outdoors, this should be done locally wherever possible.
Mr Hancock said: “There is already a national lockdown in place that says that you should not travel unless it’s absolutely necessary and that you should stay local and we expect people to adhere to that everywhere.
“But in particular, in the postcodes that I’ve set out where people should stay at home unless they absolutely have to leave, and anybody even thinking about stretching the rules in those areas must not.
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“Now, of course, further measures are always there, but we already have this very strong set of rules, indeed very strong laws in place, against people travelling unnecessarily, unless that travel is essential.
“So what I’d say is that if you’re in one of the postcode areas I’ve set out, if you’re in an area where the new variant has been found, then stay at home and let’s get this new variant totally under control.”
If you need to travel, the Government advises you walk or cycle where possible, and plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.
REDUCE ESSENTIAL TRIPS - INCLUDING TO THE SHOP
It is permitted to leave the house to buy food, medicine, or even garden supplies.
But a minister has suggested those that live in the eight postcodes “think again” before you go about such activities.
Minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News: "Think again before you go about activities, even those within the rules such as essential shopping.
"Do you really need to go for that shopping or have you got enough in?
"We're at that final hurdle, but it's still a very perilous stage of this virus and we've got these new variants spreading, so we do have to be extra vigilant and really abide by those rules to the letter of them, and also contemplate every action and activity that we do."
WORK FROM HOME
Ms Donelan urged people to have “have that extra conversation with their employer” about whether they need to go into work at this time.
It comes after some key workers in the areas affected by the South African strain have been urged to stay at home.
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Hospital staff are being asked to stay at home until they are proven to be negative for Covid, Political Editor Robert Peston reported.
A letter sent to healthcare workers in the South East (ME15) asked staff to undertake a lateral flow test if they are due to work clinically from Tuesday.
REMEMBER THE BASIC RULES
The same basic rules apply of “Hands. Face. Space.”
That means washing your hands regularly for 20 seconds, wearing a face-covering where you will come into contact with people outside your household, and socially distancing by two meters.
Most read in Health News
Dr Julian Tang, and honorary associate professor and virologist, University of Leicester, said: “The main risk is for the South African variant to transmit more efficiently to cause more infections that may overwhelm the NHS in those areas.
“So the current messaging - to stay home where possible, wear masks properly and maintain strict social distancing is still important.”
Read More on The Sun
The South African variant does not cause more severe disease, and there is no strong evidence that it is more deadly.
However, because it is more easily spread, this by nature could lead to more cases and therefore hospital admissions.
Matt Hancock says UK 'must come down hard' on South Africa variant as eight areas get testing surge
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