REPORTS of a Covid-19 outbreak in Keighley are incorrect, Bradford's Director of Public Health has said.
Please be assured we have experienced no new #coronavirus #COVID19 spike in #Keighley & this is thanks to all your hard work.
— Robbie Moore MP #StayAlertSaveLives (@_RobbieMoore) June 30, 2020
Of course, it remains vitally important we all keep washing 🧼 our 🖐 🖐 & maintaining social distancing.
Huge 👏 to all for your efforts so far.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to discuss the localised lockdown in Leicester after a spike in cases.
@BBCr4today Matt Hancock said there is a Covid outbreak in Keighley. That’s incorrect. Presume he meant Kirklees. Please correct on air.
— Bradford Council (@bradfordmdc) June 30, 2020
Just to calm everyone down a bit…
— Bradford Council (@bradfordmdc) June 30, 2020
There's no new COVID-19 spike in Keighley. @MattHancock confused Keighley with a different area on TV and radio this morning.
Please keep maintaining social distance & washing hands so we don’t need to announce a local outbreak in the future.
Discussing the measures taken in the city, he told the BBC: "These much more targeted measures have worked in other outbreaks, so we’ve had an outbreak in Keighley, which we dealt with by shutting a factory there, we've had an outbreak in Weston-super-Mare that we've dealt with by shutting a hospital there to new admissions.
"We've shut GP surgeries in Enfield, so we've been taking this highly-localised approach."
The mention of Keighley came as a surprise to many, with people taking to social media site Twitter urging clarification.
Others questioned whether the Health Secretary had meant to say Kirklees, where the Kober meat factory in Cleckheaton temporarily closed following an outbreak.
Sarah Muckle, Director of Public Health in Bradford, told the Telegraph & Argus that there was not an outbreak in Keighley and the Health Secretary had got it wrong.
She also speculated that he meant to say Kirklees.
Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “We’ve had confirmation from Public Health England that the Secretary of State meant Kirklees, not Keighley. The Secretary of State made a mistake.
"We’ve obviously had a lot of press calls this morning to deal with regarding this matter. We continue to work hard with the people of the district to protect Keighley and all the parts of the Bradford district from the infection spreading.”
The Telegraph & Argus has contacted the Department for Health and Social Care for clarification.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel