Covid-19 R rate in North West is the highest in England

Illustration of COVID-19, created by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Research by Public Health England and Cambridge University’s MRC Biostatistics Unit - which estimates the R number in different regions - shows that the R rate is 1.01 in the North West.

The R rate shows the average number of people someone with coronavirus infects and is one of the indicators used to assess how much the virus is spreading.

Rochdale Council is urging residents to keep adhering to social distancing measures to help fight the spread of the virus which has so far claimed the lives of almost 200 people in the borough.

Yesterday (Sunday 7 June) was the first time since lockdown that there were no new Covid-19 deaths recorded in Greater Manchester hospitals. However, there is sometimes a lag in recording deaths at the weekend and the figures don't include deaths related to the virus outside of a hospital setting.

Despite some relaxation of the lockdown measures the council is asking residents to continue to:

• stay at home as much as possible
• work from home if you can
• limit contact with other people
• keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
• wash your hands regularly
• not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

Council leader Allen Brett said: “We are by no means out of the woods yet and we all need to remain alert to the dangers of this terrible disease. It may seem like things are getting better but there is still a huge risk to public health and we need to do everything we can to stop the spread of coronavirus.

“That means staying at home as much as possible, staying local as much as possible, limiting contact with other people and socially distancing at all times.”

Dr Andrew Furber, regional director of Public Health England (PHE) North West, said: “We know here in the North West, we experienced a peak in cases later than the majority of other areas. We need to ensure all our communities continue to follow government guidance on social distancing and self-isolation. As lockdown measures are eased across the country, it is vitally important we do everything we can to slow the spread of the virus and save lives.”

In a joint statement, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester and Steve Rotherham, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region said: "We ask everyone to make a renewed commitment to follow the official guidance and to stay at home as much as possible.

"In fact, we would go further and advise people to err on the side of caution and to use the new freedoms carefully and safely.

"Staying at home is the best way we can protect ourselves, and each other, and get the R number in the North West back below 1."

They've also called on the government for regular regional R data to be released, greater flexibility in regions to adapt to their R rate, schools reopening only when it is appropriate for their area, a review of shops reopening in the North West on 15 June and local furlough schemes if local lockdowns are introduced.