Tier 2 is right place for Hertfordshire, says county leader David Williams

Tier two restrictions are “the right place” for Hertfordshire, despite a fall in cases of Covid-19 in recent weeks, according to the leader of the county council.

Figures from the middle of this month (November) show that the weekly rate of infection in Hertfordshire (per 100,000 population) was running at 172 – and was on the rise.

But by November 21 – just one week later – that figure had fallen to 136.

The “significant decline” may have prompted some hopes that the county would emerge from lockdown into a ‘tier’ with looser restrictions.

But at a media briefing on Friday (November 27) leader of the county council Cllr David Williams said tier two was “the right place” for Hertfordshire.

And he said it was “unlikely” the county would move into a lower tier before Christmas – and that the county may be in Tier 2 for a while.

He said the “significant decline” in cases over the seven-day period had been “really positive” and “a great achievement on the part of Hertfordshire residents”.

And he said the way Hertfordshire had performed in lockdown period bode well for the county going forward.

But despite the decrease in the infection rate, he said the government had “no alternative” than to put Hertfordshire into Tier 2.

“There is a fine line here – and if we are being realistic Tier 2 is the right place for us to be at the moment,” he said.

However he did say he had anticipated ‘a but more of a detailed dialogue with government’ before the decision was made.

And he accepted the Tier 2 decision would have an impact on Hertfordshire residents.

“Tier 2 is going to be quite challenging for a number of our residents and businesses – particularly in the hospitality sector,” he said

During the briefing, director of public health Jim McManus pointed to the impact the current wave of Covid-190 cases was having on the NHS.

He reported that 179 patients are being treated for the virus in hospitals in Hertfordshire and West Essex – with new admissions at a rate of 11 a day.

And he warned: “There is an assumption that this hasn’t impacted, because we are not seeing people in hospital and people dying – but hospitals are experiencing some pressure.

However Mr McManus also reported that more people were surviving the virus – and fewer people were in intensive care.

During the briefing Mr McManus also pointed to data that showed the differing numbers of Covid-19 cases across the borough.

The incidence rate, according to the latest data, is currently highest in Broxbourne, where there have been 204 confirmed cases in seven days – giving an infection rate of 210 per 100,000 or population,

But in North Hertfordshire – where there have been 139 cases – it’s as low as 104.3.

Despite the differences in infection rates, Cllr Williams said it was “unlikely” different tiers would ever be applied to different district and boroughs within the county.

“People move across the county east to west and north to south,” he said.

“I don’t imagine there would be a case for taking a different view in any one of our districts or boroughs.”

However Cllr Wiliams did suggest there may be a case for that approach in other parts of the country, where patterns of movement were different.

According to the data presented (as of November 26, but excluding the last four days) the incidence rates across the county were: Broxbourne 210.6; Dacorum 130.9; East Herts 155.3; Hertsmere 147.8; North Herts 104.3; St Albans 117.4; Stevenage 120.8; Three Rivers 148.3; Watford 169.5; Welwyn Hatfield 139.3.

It shows that over the previous seven day period infection rates had decreased in all but one of the district and borough areas (Dacorum).

Over the same period, across the county the number of weekly cases dropped from 2040 to 1681. That’s a decrease of around 18 per cent.

Meanwhile director of public health Jim McManus says he expects the first members of NHS staff to be vaccinated in Hertfordshire by the end of the year – if the vaccine is approved by the MHRA.