Workplaces and schools were not opened too early, insists West Midlands Mayor amid rising coronavirus cases
Workplaces and schools have not opened up too soon, West Midlands Mayor Andy Street insisted today as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the UK.
Health officials have been alarmed by the surging number of Covid-19 cases nationally over the last few days amid fears of a second wave.
Birmingham has become a major concern and there are suggestions local restrictions that have been enforced in places such as Greater Manchester could be brought in to try and halt the spread there.
But Mr Street stressed that in the Black Country, the virus remains under control for now.
The mayor rejected the suggestion that workers had been told to return to the office too soon and that businesses opening up was partly responsible for the increase in cases. A key message from Prime Minister Boris Johnson in recent weeks has been that it is safe to return to work.
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Nearly 3,000 cases were confirmed on Sunday, the highest on a single day since May. There were 71 cases confirmed in the Black Country on Monday, with Sandwell having the most of the four areas.
Latest figures show the infection rate in Birmingham is 60 per 100,000 people as cases more than doubled last week. The total for Sandwell is 26 per 100,000, where there were only three new cases last week. Wolverhampton is 27 per 100,000 and Dudley and Walsall both 17 per 100,000.
Mr Street told the Express & Star: "If we look at where we think the transmission is, most of that transmission is in domestic household settings. There is very little evidence it is in offices. There have been some workplace outbreaks but they have been really well dealt with by local public health directors, and there is no evidence it is to do with travelling to work.
"So it's about households mixing and not following the guidance. I think this says continue a cautious return to work and let's make sure workplaces follow the guidance and people travel safely into work as well."
The mayor said the situation in Birmingham was a particular concern, and that is was crucial people in the Black Country continue to follow the guidance.
Escalation
"It's a very big concern," he said. "The highest escalation is in Birmingham. The rate of infection in Birmingham is considerably more than in the Black Country. It's about three times as high so that's very concerning.
"We do not want the same level as cases in the Black Country as in Birmingham so it's essential everyone follows all the advice."
Mr Street said he believed some young people were becoming too confident now that pubs and restaurants were open again. Covid-19 cases have shot up among young people and there are fears they will pass it onto older, more vulnerable groups.
The UK's top health officials said on Monday they believed too many had returned to a normal way of living too soon.
The mayor said: "There definitely is an age issue here. The fastest growth now is in the younger groups, under 30 but also the 30-40 age group as well - very few cases among the retired.
"So clearly that tells us it is the socialising between those young groups that looks to be passing this on and it is those young groups who tend to be more confident about this but it's misplaced confidence because the virus is still a killer. It's not mutated, it's not changed. All this you hear that it's less dangerous than it was before, everything I hear that is categorically untrue.
"It is still a killer and, of course, if a young person gets it they pass it on to their parents or even their grandparents, it's there that it's lethal."
And he warned: "If our numbers increase we will move to the same as Greater Manchester, absolutely."
"The rate of infection in Sandwell is about 25 in 100,000, that's been stable, it's not gone up in recent days so there is some encouragement there but absolutely no room for complacency."
