Milton Keynes public health boss calls for more Covid precautions to be followed as cases rise locally

Public health chiefs and MK Council are calling for more Covid-19 measures to be followed as cases top 200 a day in the borough.

They are urging residents, businesses and schools to observe social distancing, open windows and follow the 'hands, face and space' rule over the autumn and winter.

The move follows "marked rises" in Covid-19 cases in Milton Keynes over the past few weeks.

After many weeks of having a below average infection spread, the borough's case rate (number of cases per 100,000 population) shot to above the national average this week.

On 18 October, the number of new positive cases reported for MK reached 248, with over 200 new cases reported on the 19 and 20 October.

While cases may be higher in children, the health impact is much greater amongst the adult population – meaning everybody must take precautions, says the council.

Vaccination is the most effective step, but cannot be used alone to combat Covid-19, they say.

Director of Public Health for Milton Keynes, Vicky Head, said: “We know that measures like wearing a face covering in busy places, opening windows to provide good ventilation, maintaining social distancing wherever possible, and regular testing along with hand washing will help control Covid..

"Getting vaccinated is the single biggest thing you can do to protect yourself and your family, but we can’t rely on vaccination alone to keep the pressures on the NHS to a manageable level.”

Milton Keynes Council leader Pete Marland said: “Covid-19 hasn’t gone away and our hospital is very busy. In addition to getting vaccinated, we all need to remember the importance of testing along with the ‘hands, face, space - and fresh air’ measures we can take to make sure our rates do not climb any higher.”