Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “The situation across the country and especially in towns and cities in the North and Midlands is deteriorating, with the number of new cases at times reaching more than 3,000 a day. While it’s obviously concerning that Sheffield has been placed on the Government’s Coronavirus watchlist, all of our South Yorkshire local authorities have seen their infection rates significantly increase over the past week
“I’m working closely with the city council and local partners and we will not hesitate, if necessary, to introduce further measures to help control the spread of the virus. I’ll be pressing Government ministers to ensure we have the resources we need to get the virus under control.
“Sheffield and much of South Yorkshire is on the precipice, there is a very real risk that we could see a sustained rise in infections which would put at risk the gains we’ve made. We all need to work together to bring us back to safety.
“I’m asking every South Yorkshire resident to do their bit to protect each other: our families, friends and neighbours – otherwise we risk being placed under tougher lockdown measures. It is essential that we all wash our hands regularly, wear face coverings and socially distance from others (keep two metres apart), and if you have symptoms then get tested and isolate.
“Only by working together and protecting each other can we beat this virus. Now is the time we must all take responsibility and look out for each other.”
