A rise in COVID-19 cases risk a local lockdown for Brighton and Hove

The city of Brighton’s COVID-19 alert level was raised from yellow to amber after 115 new cases were confirmed, a staggering increase from the 39 cases confirmed from the week before. A health chief has said that efforts from everyone must be taken to reduce the spread of coronavirus across the city.

Amber is only one level away from red, the most severe. If transmission increases there is a strong chance the government will impose more restrictions on the city, which has already been seen in other cities including Manchester and Birmingham.

This rise comes after it was discovered that students in a block of Northfield accommodation were self-isolating due to a positive test result. On September 29th, the University of Sussex revealed that coronavirus cases were “small single digits” but these figures have since increased. The University of Brighton also confirmed today that 18 students have tested positive for COVID-19.

The rise in testing is thought to have played a part with increased positive results, with a mobile testing unit opening on the University campus and a local testing unit in East Brighton. However, this does not explain the large spike in confirmed cases fully.

As seen with lots of cities in the UK, the infection rate has been rising rapidly, which is thought to have been caused by lockdown restrictions being eased from July 4th. This easing included pubs and restaurants re-opening, children going back to school and universities re-opening their doors to students. The government has attempted to combat this sudden increase with the “rule of six”, which came into force September 14th, but it appears that more will need to be done in Brighton and Hove to help slow the spread of coronavirus before a local lockdown is imposed.