Milton Keynes Council leader still 'really concerned' with local coronavirus figures

Despite new case numbers plateauing in the city and the decreasing R-rate in the area the councillor continues to urge caution.

Councillor Marland said: "The number of cases is 277 per 100,000 people. The trend is continuing downward and that's very positive. It's only because the vast majority of people are following the rules even though it is difficult.

"However our cases per week are still much higher than in other parts of the country, including London. The rate in Milton Keynes is higher than it was in December, but unlike then the new variant now makes up around 80% of our cases meaning the risk of transmission is higher. We're still really concerned. It's crucial that everyone takes every precaution to reduce the spread of the virus."

The Council leader also announced that his enforcement team have visited over 150 premises to check whether government restrictions are being followed. Councillor Marland stated the most visits are 'really reassuring' and that are process is in place to take action when needed.

Councillor Marland also issued an apology for waste collection delays. Milton Keynes' waste collection schedule was initially impacted by a coronavirus outbreak at the contracting company the council use, Serco. With the icy weather last week causing further delays.

Councillor Marland added: "I took the decision to reset collections to their normal day at the beginning of this week rather than cause more disruption to even more residents and potentially not get back to normal for some time. I know it's not ideal, but it will allow waste collections to get fully back on track by the end of next week."

The briefing finished with Councillor Marland revealing that MK Council have increased their capacity to provide rapid testing for key workers not showing Covid-like symptoms. He said: "We've been helping Serco and other key workers by providing rapid tests to pick up instances where people who have COVID-19, but don't have symptoms.

"This helps break the chain of transmission. We've now extended the hours to make it easier for key workers to have a rapid test out of hours. On Tuesday and Thursday tests are now available until 7PM. No appointment is needed, but please bring your work ID and a smartphone. Please remember these tests are only for key workers who do not have symptoms. For all people who do have symptoms we have three test centres in Milton Keynes."