Northamptonshire health chief warns they will take local restrictions into their own hands if new government guidance is not enough

Northamptonshire's top health chief has warned if she doesn't feel the Government's new guidance is enough to stem the rise of Covid-19 in the county then she'll step up local restrictions herself.

A press conference today (October 9) revealed the number of positive tests in Northamptonshire has doubled since the previous week, up to 417 new cases.

But it comes as the PM is expected to announce new guidance on local restrictions this Monday (October 9), including a possible "tiered" approach that sets restrictions based on an area's infection rate.

But the director of Public Health Northamptonshire says if she feels it is not enough for the county she will step up restrictions herself.

She also voiced frustration at the Government for not acting sooner as England infection rate continues to rise, and expressed if not for the announcement on Monday she would have announced stricter measures today.

She said: "Do I think enough is being done? No.

"Do I worry that new legislative rules being brought in on Monday will be enough for areas that are seeing significant increases in cases? My concern is not.

"If me and my partners do not believe that the guidance on Monday is enough to stop or stem the flow the cases locally then we will be taking more local action - be those recommendations or legislative actions.

"I'm obviously awaiting that guidance. If I was not waiting for the guidance I would have gone hard with the messaging today. But I don't want to put lcoal restrictions in that I then had to backpedal the next week if they're not aligned with the national guidance.

"I wait with baited breath to see where Northamptonshire would be placed on different levels of intervention and what restrictions will therefore apply to each area.

"We need to make sure we do not escalate in the same way as we've seen elsewhere. We know that lockdowns are not good for people's mental health and the economy for a number of reasons. But we recognise that if we do not get on top of this soon then that's where we will be."