Call for Covid control measures after spike in Falmouth

Urgent measures are being called for to control coronavirus in parts of Cornwall after a recent spike in cases.

Falmouth has seen Covid-19 cases rise to 686 per 100,000 people. The case rate across all of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is just over 150.

Local commerce leaders said the town and port has seen more than 30 businesses affected by cases.

They and councillors have called for surge testing. Cornwall Council said it was monitoring the situation.

Councillors and town leaders have been holding talks about the recent rise in cases.

Local leaders in Falmouth called for assistance to get on top of the spike, both for the next three weeks, while the current lockdown rules were still in place, and for beyond 19 July, when they were expected to be lifted.

Richard Wilcox, manager of Falmouth Business Improvement District, said the central message from senior politicians and health leaders for after 19 July was "mixed" and a "grey area", so "that's why we are taking that local leadership role".

He said businesses recently affected were "mainly in the hospitality sector and many more [are] on a knife edge" because they were only "a phone call away from a member of staff perhaps having to isolate and, therefore, they're short staffed".

Jade Phipps, of the Good Vibes Cafe, which had to close last week for six days for staff to self-isolate, said support was needed.

She said: "We're still having to pay our rent, keep our staff sorted and everything. We're going to need support, aren't we? Otherwise you run the risk of people not following the rules and ignoring isolation ... which is really terrible for the town."

Parts of Falmouth are seeing some of the highest levels of new infections in the country at the moment, when compared to similar-sized areas.

In some ways this is unsurprising as the vast majority of the population are under-50, many of them students, and these are the age groups driving infections up at the moment.

It is clear this spike is causing widespread disruption to everyday life in Falmouth, but there are still some positive signs in terms of protecting people's health.

Like the rest of England, the majority of new cases in the area are happening in people aged 20-24, suggesting the vaccination rollout is working to protect older age groups.

Generally speaking, younger people are far less likely to become seriously ill from the virus.

Even if this spike causes increased transmission in older people, the widespread vaccine coverage - of about 90% - will greatly reduce the likelihood of hospitalisations rising.

Cornwall Council said it was monitoring the situation and keeping a possible request for surge testing to the government "under constant review".

It said it would continue to carry out local case reviews on the ground to "monitor transmission and trace contacts to help reduce the spread of the virus".

The authority explained the public health team, working with Public Health England (PHE), could submit a request to the Department of Health for surge testing.

A spokesman said: "This option is under constant review and we will continue to work closely with PHE to monitor the data."

PHE said it was supporting Cornwall Council in its response to rising cases.

The NHS said it was to open a pop-up vaccination clinic in Falmouth on Friday.

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