Council leader expresses his concerns after the rate of Covid-19 cases across Harborough increases rapidly

The rate of Covid-19 cases across Harborough has increased to over 300 per 100,000 people, the district council’s leader has revealed.

Cllr Phil King said the number of people infected by the coronavirus throughout the district has spiked to a new peak of 301.7 per 100,000 – a large increase on the previously-issued figure of 221.

The Conservative council chief warned Harborough could be promoted from the Medium Alert Tier 1 into the Government’s High Alert Tier 2 or even the Very High Alert Tier 3 facing much tougher restrictions.

Cllr King said the startling latest Covid-19 data emerged “live on air” as he addressed the council’s virtual full meeting last night (Monday).

“No one can be under any illusion that the coronavirus rate is accelerating in Harborough,” he told councillors.

The latest Government data shows that the virus rate for the East Midlands is 341.6 cases per 100,000 – significantly higher than the national rate for England of 271.

Cllr King said that people expected that Harborough would be exiting the second national lockdown on Wednesday December 2 and starting to return to normal.

“But if the rate does not start to come down soon in a sizeable way it’s clear to me that that’s a very unlikely scenario.

“In fact it’s very likely that we may exit into Tier 3 with very high restrictions or possibly go into Tier 2,” warned the council leader.

“There are two particular areas of concern.

“One is young people aged from 17-21 and the other group is the over-60s.

“It is essential that everyone, of all ages, across the whole of Harborough district follows the Government guidelines and restrictions – as seemingly contradictory as they can be.”

Backing Cllr King’s call for people to stay safe, Cllr Phil Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrats on the authority, said: “Covid-19 is a killer.

“It cannot be taken lightly and these latest figures are deeply concerning.

“I’d urge colleagues to take every opportunity to implore people to follow the latest coronavirus guidance.

“Please follow the golden rules – regularly wash your hands, keep your social distance and wear a face covering.

“Unless we put the brakes on Covid-19 across Harborough we could all end up in Tier 2 or Tier 3.

“And that will cause immense problems for the entire community,” warned Cllr Knowles.

“We are in a desperate situation – we have to reverse these figures.

“Some businesses in our area are already teetering on the brink of collapse.

“They are in the last chance saloon.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what support our officers come up with for our local businesses.”

Cllr King admitted that many people are “mentally tired” and “weary” as Harborough, along with the country, continues to battle the highly-infectious virus after a shattering eight months.

He also slammed Leicestershire Police for “turning a blind eye” to the high-profile funeral of well-known traveller Diamond Price at the council’s Northampton Road cemetery in Market Harborough last Thursday (November 12).

“Allegedly some 50-60 people attended this traveller’s funeral,” declared Cllr King, despite the number of mourners attending funerals currently being limited to 30.

“This is deeply concerning.

“I have raised this issue with the Chief Constable but as yet have had no answer.

“The police knew about this and took no action.

“I’m very concerned about that.

“It seems as if there is one rule for one and one rule for another.

“This won’t be supported in the wider settled community.

“The traveller and gipsy community is at greater risk from Covid-19 than the settled community, making this case even more concerning,” said Cllr King.

“The wider community is well aware of this (the funeral).

“So how do we get them to follow the current coronavirus regulations when the official enforcement agency (the police) does nothing?

“It is a real conundrum.”