Today (17 December) the Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock confirmed that South Yorkshire will remain in Tier 3 of COVID restrictions over the Christmas period. The Government has based this decision on five criteria:
- New infection rate in all ages – South Yorkshire’s rate ranges from 143 to 234 new cases per 100,000 people in the past 7 days
- New infection rate in Over 60’s – South Yorkshire’s rate is 161 new cases per 100,000
- Rate by which cases are rising and falling – South Yorkshire’s rate is between 8% and 5%, when it should be below 5%
- Number admitted to hospital with Covid in the last week – South Yorkshire had 104 new cases
- Pressure on the NHS – South Yorkshire had 632 people in hospital beds, around 1.5 times the spring peak
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “I know this decision is absolutely the last thing our communities and businesses wanted to hear, another hammer blow to follow so many others. After the endless grind and hardship of this extraordinary, terrible year, simply having an ordinary Christmas would have been a huge relief. For many of our businesses, these days and weeks are critical to their survival.
“I would reiterate that this decision was taken solely by central government. Once again, Mayors and local leaders have been cut out of the decision-making process and not even afforded the basic courtesy of being consulted, or informed in advance, about this decision. These decisions are absolutely crucial to our residents, businesses and communities, but yet again they are being made about us, without us.
“I will keep fighting for more support to help our communities and our businesses get through this incredibly tough time. We secured £30m funding for business support in October, we’ve increased our own funding for business support and skills by £16.5m, and we’ve given our councils a £6m boost to help them cope amid the crisis. Existing grants to businesses have been increased for December to support them through such a critical period. We’ve also prepared a detailed Renewal Action Plan so we can not only recover from COVID but build a stronger, greener and fairer South Yorkshire in the process.
“But COVID is still deadly and is still spreading. The lockdowns have brought the rate of new infections down, but we are going into Christmas in a perilous position. Better treatments means fewer people are dying, but they are staying longer in hospital, occupying 632 beds across South Yorkshire – far above the peak of 400 in the spring. A surge in cases over Christmas, combined with the normal pressure on hospitals from winter flu, could put our NHS at a tipping point. We simply can’t risk the needless danger to our loved ones that would bring.
“We’ve already seen the first vaccinations in South Yorkshire. The light at the end of the tunnel is not just visible but growing brighter every day. That makes it all the more important to hold the line a little longer, so we do not unnecessarily lose lives just when the end is in sight.
“Nothing could be more natural than to want to see our family and friends over Christmas. But the best present we can give our loved ones is a COVID-free Christmas, and our communities, businesses and NHS cannot afford a third spike in the virus in January. We are so close to being able to spend time with our families as normal: we must not risk another lockdown and more loss of life for the sake of a few days.
“For now, in this season above all others, we have to think not just of our own safety but of our friends, our family, our community. Together, we can reach the finishing line that is getting closer every day.”
Julia Burrows, Director of Public Health for Barnsley Council, said: “Although we have seen the overall rate of infection reduce and start to level out across South Yorkshire over the past few weeks, we are now seeing signs that the overall rate is starting to increase again. This includes increasing infection rates in those over 65 years old.
“The pressure on NHS services also remains high, as they continue to try to provide routine health care on top of handling COVID-19 admissions. By moving out of very high restrictions at this time, we would put South Yorkshire’s hospitals at additional risk as well as the lives of vulnerable people.
“I understand this may be frustrating for many people, as so many have worked hard to reduce our rates. However, it is vital that we do all we can to keep the virus under control as much as possible as we have seen how quickly infections and deaths can increase.”
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System Medical Director, Professor Des Breen, said: “The NHS is coping during this second wave of COVID-19, but we need everyone to help us contain the spread of the virus in the coming weeks to reduce the number of cases coming into hospitals. Recently, we had seen a steady decline in the number of cases but at the moment, we are seeing an increase in the numbers of patients with COVID-19 being admitted to hospital.
“The next few weeks are critical. If we start the New Year with the current numbers of patients in hospitals and see a further rise in cases following Christmas ‘bubbles’ at the same time as the usual winter impact on services, then this will put our NHS under severe strain. Our NHS Teams are working exceptionally hard to keep planned operations and care going and we now need you to help us, help you and your loved ones. Please take this virus seriously and play your part this festive season by:
- Limiting the chances of spreading the virus to others. Wash hands, wear a face covering, keep your distance from others. Think carefully about how best to apply the guidance on Christmas bubble to your circumstances.
- Attending appointments and operations as planned unless informed otherwise
- Speaking to your GP if you are worried about a symptom that could be cancer or another serious illness.
- Only use Accident and Emergency if you have an emergency. For all other circumstances you can get advice from NHS 111 or look on your local hospital website which has waiting times, opening times and other useful information on where is the best place to get care.
