Nottingham's director of Public Health has said the current coronavirus measures are no longer enough to stop spread of the virus in the city.
Alison Challenger says residents should expect to see tighter restrictions later this week, similar to those elsewhere in country, after a surge in cases in Nottingham.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Radio Nottingham on Tuesday morning, she said any restrictions are likely to be similar to those already in place in large parts of northern England, including limiting people mixing with different households. But she advised people to stop doing that now.
Nottinghamshire Live reported that Nottingham’s Covid rate is 382 per 100,000 people at moment - the sixth highest in the country.
The latest rolling data shows that Nottingham’s seven-day rate - number of new cases per 100,000 people – has risen from 59.5 to 382.4, with 1,273 new cases confirmed.
The Public Health England figures, for the seven days to October 2, are a concern for public health chiefs who are now discussing Nottingham’s “next steps”.
Nottingham's rate is higher than that of Leicester, Leeds, Birmingham, Middlesborough and Bolton - areas which are all in local lockdowns.
It comes as it was confirmed that 425 students and eight members of staff at the University of Nottingham tested positive for the virus, on Monday (October 5).
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are working alongside scientific and public health experts and local leaders and constantly monitoring the latest data and evidence. We are prepared to take swift and decisive action to cut the transmission of the virus and protect communities.
“We are seeing coronavirus cases rise at a rapid rate across the country and, given how serious this virus is, it is vital everyone plays their part by following the rule of six, washing their hands, practicing social distancing and wearing a mask in enclosed spaces.”
Follow any updates in our live blog on the situation here.
