Harrow Council Leader Graham Henson has said he is ‘concerned’ about the rise in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Harrow.
In a message published in MyHarrow, the council leader says that “each and every one of us must act responsibly now to protect our family, friends and neighbours.”
The message comes after it was revealed that earlier this week, Harrow had the third largest number of newly confirmed cases in London’s boroughs.
In the message, Leader of Harrow Council Cllr Graham Henson says: “I know many of you are concerned about the national news coverage of rises in coronavirus cases. I wanted to write to tell you where we are here in Harrow.
“Confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the borough, as well as other parts of London, are indeed rising.
“Last week, our data showed there were 54 confirmed coronavirus cases in the borough in the final week of August and those aged 20-50 are the most affected group. See data in full
“While I want to reassure you that our rate is still below the figure where a local lockdown would be considered, we are concerned. Each and every one of us must act responsibly now to protect our family, friends and neighbours.”
The rise comes as we return to places of work and school and bring about some normality in visiting shops and restaurants again. But the risks of catching and spreading the virus when we are outside of our homes increase. You are most at risk when in busy crowds, confined spaces or close contact with others.
We all need to think about how we can limit the spread. Please remember you are safest when you follow the hands, face, space advice:
- Wash hands, or use hand sanitiser, regularly and for at least 20 seconds
- Cover face, when using public transport or in busy spaces
- Make space – try to stay 2 metres away from people you don’t live with, including in pubs and restaurants.”
This comes as PM Boris Johnson confirmed it will be illegal to gather in groups of more than six in England as from Monday onwards. This will apply indoors and outdoors, including in private homes.
In addition, from 18 September, it will be mandatory for certain businesses to have a system to collect NHS Test and Trace data, and keep this for 21 days.
Prof Chris Whitty said at a press conference that “The period between now and spring is going to be difficult because this is a respiratory virus.”
