The spike in UK coronavirus cases shows the public has “relaxed too much” over the summer, a senior health official has warned.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said coronavirus must be taken very seriously again or the UK will face “a bumpy ride over the next few months” after a “big change” in infections.
The blunt warning was issued as Caerphilly in south Wales prepared to be placed under local lockdown and stricter measures were extended in Scotland.
There were a further 2,948 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK as of 9am on Monday, following the 2,988 reported on Sunday, which was the largest daily figure since May.
In an interview with journalists, Prof Van-Tam said: “This is a big change.
“It’s now consistent over two days and it’s of great concern at this point.
“We’ve been able to relax a bit over the summer, the disease levels have been really quite low in the UK through the summer but these latest figures really show us that much as people might like to say ‘oh well it’s gone away’ – this hasn’t gone away.
“And if we’re not careful, if we don’t take this incredibly seriously from this point in we’re going to have a bumpy ride over the next few months.”
He said that the rise is “much more marked” in the 17-21 age group, but noted there is a “more general and creeping geographic trend” across the UK.
“People have relaxed too much,” Prof Van-Tam said. “Now is the time for us to re-engage and realise that this is a continuing threat to us.”
He urged politicians and public health officials to think how to manage the crisis not in the short term but through “the next six months and how we get through this until the spring”.
The professor added that it was “clear” that the level of compliance with restrictions “is very variable indeed”.
Earlier in the day, health secretary Matt Hancock said the recent increase in cases was “concerning” and said that “nobody wants to see a second wave”.
As the UK continued attempts to quell regional outbreaks, people were told they cannot enter or leave Caerphilly without a reasonable excuse when new restrictions are imposed at 6pm on Tuesday.
Meetings with other people indoors will be banned and everyone over 11 will have to wear masks in shops, the first time the measure has been made mandatory in Wales.
The South Wales borough has seen 133 new Covid-19 cases over the past seven days, equivalent to a rate of 55.4 cases per 100,000 population, giving it one of the highest rates in the UK.
Meanwhile, restrictions on household visits across western parts of Scotland were extended for a further week and expanded to also include East Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire.
The developments came as:
– The total number of confirmed cases in the UK passed 350,100.
– The seven-day rate of new UK cases has risen to 21.3 per 100,000 people, just above the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 at which the Government considers imposing quarantine conditions on people travelling to the UK, if recorded in other countries.
– Train services across England and Wales were increased to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels on Monday, with operators telling commuters they can “travel with confidence”.
– A number of schools have reported confirmed cases of coronavirus, including three around Middlesbrough and one in Suffolk.