AFTER reporting on the daily coronavirus figures diligently every day for more than three months during lockdown, I was some what shocked when the latest figures came out to see a sudden increase for Warrington from 810 to over 1,308!!
A jump of nearly 500 yesterday (Thursday) was unprecedented since I had been reporting on the daily figures.
My common sense told me something had changed and after much digging I eventually got to the bottom of it – basically the reporting methods had changed to include all private testing, which were all added to the daily numbers, without any prior warning.
For several weeks I had been trying to establish what the true figures were, having spotted numerous discrepancies between our local hospital and Public Health England. I have absolutely no criticism of Warrington Hospital, who have been more than helpful with providing information over the past three months – and in many cases leading the way with dealing with this terrible pandemic.
While I don’t want to sound alarmist – the number of people infected in our town is clearly more than was being reported, with many more probably going undetected due to lack of symptoms.
All this as we prepare to open up pubs and restaurants tomorrow, July 4th.
While this is important for our economy, it is certainly not a time to become complacent as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.
Many people are still dying and becoming infected by this terrible disease, with health experts still working around the clock seeking a vaccine.
So as our pubs and restaurants reopen, it is more important than ever to obey the social distancing rules. This means giving people their personal space and following the one way systems put in place.
Sadly each time I have gone into town many people seem oblivious to these well marked out one way routes.
Our economy has already been battered and many people have already lost their jobs and many more face an uncertain future.
The last thing we need as a town or a country is a second spike as many of us start to reopen our businesses.
Here at Warrington-Worldwide we have started production of our monthly magazine again for the first time since the end of March – once up and running a second shut down would be extremely difficult to bounce back from – and I am sure this would be the same for many businesses.
So if you are planning to head to your favourite local pub, bar or restaurant tomorrow, please stay safe and ensure you wash your hands at every opportunity and if you have any symptoms please stay at home and self isolate for 14 days and get yourself tested.
It is a small price to pay compared to the possibility of the consequences of spreading this killer disease.
So much hard work has been done for more than 100 days – don’t undo it all with selfish behaviour.
We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly throughout this terrible pandemic and we all need to continue to do our best to stop it spreading.
Enjoy your weekend wisely and safely or we could all face the consequences for a long time to come!
Changes in COVID-19 reporting methods reveal nearly 500 more cases in Warrington
