It's 'highly likely' fresh lockdown retrictions will be imposed in Milton Keynes if Covid-19 cases continue to rise, says council leader

Councillor Pete Marland said on Friday that 29 people had officially tested positive in the city over the previous two weeks.

But the true figure of untested cases in the community will be higher, he said.

Over the weekend seven more cases were confirmed.

Pete said: "Most recent cases have been in young adults, particularly people in their 20s and 30s. And they've been spread across several areas of Milton Keynes, not just on one place. I must therefore say this: If people continue not to follow the guidance and if cases continue to rise, if it highly likely that restrictions will be reimposed here."

He added: "The rise in cases means that Milton Keynes now has a case rate of 8.9 cases per 100,000 population, a rise from just 2.6 last week. For comparison Luton's case rate is 25.8 and Bedford's is 11 per 100,000. While the total number of positive cases is still low, the increase is concerning."

Last week MK council issued an essential warning for people in MK to stick to the Covid guidlines, staying two metres apart where possible, washing their hands regularly and wearing masks in most public indoor places places and on public transport.

Pete said; "I know some people are asking why we still need to do this if our numbers are so low, and thankfully we have not had any Covid-related deaths for some time.

"I understand some people are fatigued and want to return to normal. However, our low numbers does not mean that we should become complacent. Covid-19 is highly infectious.

"The number of positive cases recorded by tests is lower than the actual number of cases in the community. Even with comparatively low numbers today, the virus can and will spread quickly if we don't follow the rules. More people will become sick and more people will die. That can be prevented. There is still a responsibility on us all to stop the spread."

Many people with Covid-19 have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, but this does not mean they cannot pass the virus on to other people, said Pete.

"And it does not mean that if you catch it, it will not be a serious case. If you do not feel well, you can arrange a test on the NHS website or by calling 119 - no matter how mild your symptoms."

He reminded people that the isolation period has changed from seven days to 10 days from the date of first symptoms or the date or the date of being confirmed as a positive case.

"Please help us control Covid-19 in Milton Keynes," he said. " The last thing we want to do is put local restrictions in place or have them imposed on us for a more serious outbreak. However we will not hesitate to do so if we think it will save lives and if these early warnings do not help control the spread. "

On Friday there had been 915 cases confirmed in MK since the beginning of the pandemic. This figure rose to 918 on Saturday and 922 yesterday.

Today's figures will be released later this afternoon.