Covid cases have surged in Sefton over the last week prompting the local public health chief to warn against “complacency”.
Infections more than doubled in the week up to Friday (May 7) with more than 130 new cases being reported in that period - the highest weekly total since mid-March.
Sefton’s director of public health, Margaret Jones, said the sudden rise was “a stark reminder that the coronavirus is still in the borough”.
Most new cases appear to be focused on Formby, where the local swimming pool has had to close after an outbreak and at least one primary school has sent children home to self-isolate.
A spokesperson for the council suggested that Sefton’s previously low levels of Covid-19 meant the rise in cases would appear much more dramatic in percentage terms.
However, with more than 130 new cases reported in the borough last week, there has also been a significant increase in the absolute number of infections.
The borough now has almost twice as many cases as it did when the Rule of Six was reintroduced on March 29, leading Ms Jones to urge residents not to “jeopardise” the next stage of lockdown easing.
She said: “It is vital that if we are going to continue local and national progress back to the kinds of normal life we all want to see, we continue to take the precautions that keep us and others safe.
“If you have the coronavirus symptoms of a new continuous cough, a fever or a loss of smell or taste, you are infectious and must self-isolate and book a test by calling 119 or visiting www.nhs.uk/coronavirus.
“If you don’t you are putting friends and family at risk and helping the spread of Covid.
“And we all need to continue social distancing, mask-wearing and frequent and thorough handwashing, which are all key elements of staying safe.”
The step towards the end of lockdown is due to take place next Monday (May 17), with pubs and restaurants able to open indoors.
In the rest of the Liverpool City Region, cases remain largely flat at around 11 or 12 cases per 100,000 residents.
Sefton’s surge in cases accounted for almost half of all new Covid cases in the city region last week, and local health chiefs will hope swift action in the borough prevents a further increase and cases spilling over into neighbouring areas.
