Covid-19 tiers: Suffolk stays in tier 2 despite cases tripling
Suffolk will remain in tier two, the second highest level of coronavirus restrictions, despite rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates.
In the latest government data, all districts in Suffolk showed a week-on-week rise in case rates. The county had been under tier two rules since 2 December. Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, told Parliament cases were up by two thirds in the east of England, with hospital admissions up by half. "We've come so far, we mustn't blow it now. No-one wants tougher restrictions than necessary," said Mr Hancock, who is also the West Suffolk MP. Suffolk County Council said the pace of growth in the infection rate was a major cause for concern - especially for the county's hospitals. 'Shocking' It said there were 239 Covid patients in county hospital beds on 16 December. "Given where Suffolk was just three weeks ago, the increase in Covid-19 cases is shocking," said Matthew Hicks, Conservative leader for Suffolk County Council. The number of cases in the last week increased by 62% in West Suffolk and 57% in East Suffolk. Ipswich, Mid Suffolk and Babergh have also seen increases. "The actions that each of us take over the coming weeks and months, ahead of the Covid vaccine being fully rolled out, will determine when we get our everyday social freedoms back," said Mr Hicks. Compared to the rest of the East, Suffolk has seen comparatively lower levels of infection but the figures have still tripled. So far the county has 106 cases per 100,000 people - three times more than when compared to 14 October (35 cases per 100,000 people). At the beginning of September, there were just five cases per 100,000 people. The tiers announcement means Ipswich Town's Boxing Day match against Northampton Town can go ahead, with the club able to welcome 2,000 fans to Portman Road. The allocation of tiers is dependent on factors including each area's case numbers, the reproduction rate - or R number - and the current and projected pressure on the NHS locally. Tier allocations will be reviewed every 14 days and the regional approach will last until March. There are exceptions for some of the tier two rules, for childcare and support bubbles. Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk