The leader of Islington Council has warned against complacency in the face of the “terrible, killer” coronavirus, as figures appear to show infection rates are relatively low in the borough compared to other parts of London.
According to the latest data, the number of new cases per day is Islington has been on an overall declining trend since mid-April, and since May 20 its has plateaued to a 7 day average of new cases between zero to one. Six new cases reported in the week to July 12.
According to figures published by the City and Hackney intelligence team, Islington has recorded 13 cases in the past fortnight compared to 51 in neighbouring Hackney - which stands at the highest level in London for new cases.
Speaking on live session on Facebook this week to respond to questions from the members of the public, Cllr Richard Watts said: “Coronavirus hasn’t gone away.
“Infection rates feel very low at the moment but there can be no complacency about that. This is a terrible killer virus.
“The fact rates are low is because people have worked incredibly hard and made a lot of sacrifices.
“We can’t be chucking that away now because if we do people will die as a result, so the priority for us is public safety and keeping people safe.
“We can all play a part and the fact we have had one of the lowest mortality rates as a council is because everyone has played their part, but I want to ask you all to carry on doing your bit.”
Cllr Watts advised people to continue social distancing, to wear masks inside and certainly on public transport, to wash their hands regularly and to carry on using public spaces sensibly.
As of yesterday, there have been 563 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in Islington, which include both pillar 1 NHS testing and pillar 2 commercial lab testing.
Islington has had the lowest rate of cumulative Covid-19 cases in London at 233 per 100,000 population.
Some 150 deaths in Islington have been Covid-19 related and there were no Covid-19 related deaths reported in Islington between June 27 and July 3.
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