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From today about 13 million people (about one in five) in the UK are under some form of restrictions, including 55% of the north of England.
There& #39;s one curious exception though and it& #39;s the most puzzling decision I& #39;ve come across in months of local lockdowns...
There& #39;s one curious exception though and it& #39;s the most puzzling decision I& #39;ve come across in months of local lockdowns...
Blackpool is now the only area in Lancashire where additional restrictions on households mixing do not apply.
In fact, it& #39;s the only area in a region of about 6m people where the rules don& #39;t apply (The other blank on the BBC map
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> is Bolton, which is under tighter lockdown)
In fact, it& #39;s the only area in a region of about 6m people where the rules don& #39;t apply (The other blank on the BBC map
is Bolton, which is under tighter lockdown)" title="Blackpool is now the only area in Lancashire where additional restrictions on households mixing do not apply.In fact, it& #39;s the only area in a region of about 6m people where the rules don& #39;t apply (The other blank on the BBC map https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten"> is Bolton, which is under tighter lockdown)" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
Why? The official explanation is that it& #39;s because it is a separate unitary authority to Lancashire ("Crackers," said one public health boss) and two weeks ago had lower infection rates than elsewhere in the county. But that& #39;s not longer the case.
Blackpool& #39;s infection rate is now significantly higher than half the Lancs council areas that will be subject to these new rules. @LiveLancs has a good write-up here: https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/blackpool-covid-measures-weekend-weather-18971573">https://www.lancs.live/news/lanc...
Infections have risen almost fourfold in Blackpool since 4 September (from 20 cases a week to 78), far steeper then England& #39;s 52% increase. Its infection rate is 55 cases per 100,000 people - up from 14 three weeks earlier. England& #39;s is 33.
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases?areaType=ltla&areaName=Blackpool">https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases...
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases?areaType=ltla&areaName=Blackpool">https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases...
Perhaps even more puzzling is that Blackpool is one of the main tourist destinations in a region with the highest-infection rates in England. People, many of whom will live in the worst-hit areas, are drawn there (indeed, actively encouraged to visit: https://twitter.com/visitBlackpool/status/1307354010567942147?s=20)">https://twitter.com/visitBlac...
I asked govt to explain why Blackpool had been omitted from the rules and got a 251-word response but no real answer. I asked exactly what data they used, for what timeframe, and whether there was any consideration of wider picture in the region. Most of reply below:
