Mayor urges caution as Bristol Covid rates reach record levels

With Covid cases in Bristol climbing to the highest rates yet, the mayor has urged people to use caution and maintain safe behaviour.

Marvin Rees said the city faces a “perfect storm” with the combined impact of rising rates and easing of restrictions, with venues open to the public and gatherings allowed once more.

Compounding these concerns is the fact that still only 40 to 45 per cent of the population have been double vaccinated so far, meaning the majority do not have the highest level of protection.

Rees also criticised the government’s messaging around ‘freedom day’ on Monday as “a very irresponsible release of a piece of political branding”, saying it has connotations of people throwing caution to the wind when what’s needed is a cautious emergence from the restrictions.

“Our rate, as of today is 772 cases per 100,000 people. And you’ll know that is higher than it’s ever been,” said the mayor during a press briefing on Wednesday.

“And at the moment it doesn’t look like we’re heading towards any kind of plateau, although obviously there will be a top limit, we’re not seeing that at the moment.

“Now as we go in to tackle this virus, we have what’s been described in many ways as a perfect storm.”

Rees urged people to adopt a ‘Bristol standard’ of behaviour, remembering the ‘hands, face, space’ message, and also to be mindful of people with underlying health conditions who are more vulnerable and ensure they feel safe and welcome in the city.

A map showing the Covid case rate across Bristol for the seven day period up to July 14 – courtesy of Bristol City Council

On Monday, Bristol’s director of public health Christina Gray warned there were “no mitigations at our disposal that will stop” the immediate increase in cases. She said the number of Bristol hospital patients with Covid-19 was doubling every fortnight, meaning the current total of 50 people would be 200 in a month and 800 in two months at this rate.

Gray said most of the city’s institutions had signed up to an advisory “We Are Bristol” position to continue advocating “hands, face, space” guidance and that Covid marshals were being retained to continue encouraging and educating people rather than enforcing.

Addressing the so-called ‘pingdemic’, whereby many people are having to self isolate after being ‘pinged’ by the NHS app, the mayor said the system needs an overhaul but that he wouldn’t advise people to delete the app.

“I think we need certainty and consistency at this time, so I would not advise anyone to turn off the app,” said Rees.

“I recognise the challenges it brings businesses but that’s not what I would do because to do so would throw us into more uncertainty at a time when we need to be providing as much certainty as possible.”

Bristol City Council is hosting a series of seminars for employers, employees and unions in a bid to ensure there is a “common understanding of the nature of how to return to work safely”.

The mayor says he will continue to lobby the government for more support for organisations and companies affected by the ongoing pandemic and urged business owners to get in touch so the council is clear on the nature of the challenges faced.

Responding to the recent announcement by Boris Johnson that only those who have been double vaccinated will be allowed to enter clubs and big venues from September 30, Rees added: “There’s a heavy price to pay for that isn’t it because you end up with the dangers of the two-tier society, which is a massive concern.

“It feels though, in many ways, because we haven’t been handling this as well as we should have, we’ve been put on railroads that made that made that inevitable.

“I have real concerns about it, particularly on the way it will impact the people who are most marginalised.”

With additional reporting by Adam Postans, a local democracy reporter for Bristol

Main photo by Ellie Pipe

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