Public Health Northants says it will not make 16 coronavirus outbreaks public knowledge as Northampton tops highest weekly COVID-19 rates

The local authorities have still not made a decision on whether to put the town into a local lockdown as the town remains on the watchlist for four weeks.

It is important to state that this newspaper categorically does not want its community to face the prospect of isolation and an economic downturn again.

But there are questions that residents in Northamptonshire want our health authority and borough council leaders to answer.

At the time of writing, today, Thursday, the virus rate per 100,000 people was recorded at 748, which remains above the regional average at 523 per 100,000 people.

The question being asked of our authorities, is at what point could Northampton potentially go into local lockdown and what is the thought process and considerations behind those decisions?

The latest data given today, Thursday, to this newspaper from Public Health Northamptonshire (PHN) has confirmed there are now 16 active outbreaks in the county. Previously 20 outbreaks were mentioned in last Friday's press conference but four are no longer active.

After asking the public body for the exact whereabouts, they have refused to give geographical locations to the media as many of the cases involve low numbers. Public Health has said this information would not be right to share with the public as it would identify individuals.

On the issue of considerations around a potential lockdown in Northampton, a spokesperson for PHN said: "The borough of Northampton has been on the government watch list for 4 weeks. There are a number of different data sources that the government study before they consider on a weekly basis, what level of intervention needs to happen.

"The government considers the figures, recent trends and changes in week on week trends, interventions taking place locally and local understanding of the cause of transmission. They do not base their decisions on one single number, so it would be impossible to provide that.

"We know that the recent spike in figures is due to a large outbreak and we are working with PHE and other local and regional organisations to continue to manage that outbreak," the spokesperson added.

As of Thursday (August 13), 11 care homes were facing 62 cases, three workplaces were facing 309 cases and two hospitals or hospices were facing 37 cases.

In a previous statement, Lucy Wightman, director of Public Health Northamptonshire, said: "As outbreaks have been a feature of the pandemic since the beginning, and to date have involved small numbers of cases in Northamptonshire, this data had not been published routinely.

"We identify and control them and we provide support in terms of infection prevention and control, Environmental Health and from the HSE where appropriate."

There are a number of different data sources that the government study before they consider on a weekly basis what level of intervention needs to happen.

It comes as opposition parties this week have called for Public Health to be more transparent over where the outbreaks are.Ms Wightman added: "Some higher level data on the number of outbreaks and the types of settings in which they occur is now included in the weekly surveillance report.

"Details about individual settings will only be made public where there is a wider risk to the population and this would be by exception as most outbreaks involve small numbers of individuals and are contained quickly."

So far, 1,680 people within the local authority boundry have tested positive with coronavirus and a total of 3,743 positive cases have been identified in Northamptonshire to date.

The media was only told about the outbreak at the M&S sandwich-making factory, Greencore, when 292 people had tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, (August 13). Weeks after the first tests were carried out.

Director Wightman added: "Throughout the response to COVID-19 we have been open and transparent about the transmission rates across Northamptonshire according to the data we have had access to, and since postcode level data has been made available, we are publishing weekly surveillance reports on the Northamptonshire County Council website to highlight local hotspots.

"This ensures the public has the overall picture of what is happening across the county and are able to make informed decisions based on the guidance we're issuing, the purpose of which, is to reduce the risk of the public contracting the virus and enable them to stay safe."

· Keep 2 metres from others at all times, use a face covering where you are less than 2 metres apart

· Avoid using public transport or car sharing, wear face coverings if you cannot avoid these

· If you have COVID-19 symptoms, stay at home, self-isolate and get a test

· Avoid meeting those outside of your household or bubble in an indoor space

· Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly for 20 seconds each time

· Do not share items with others outside of your household or bubble

· If you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not go to work, either work from home or report sick, self-isolate and get a test

· Even if you only have mild COVID-19 symptoms, get a test

· If you are contacted by test and trace and asked to self-isolate, stay at home for 14 days