Anyone live in Leicester? The lockdown there has been extended.

Closed not listed

Me? I seem to be one of the few posters who is still staying at home and not galloping off to see friends and hug grandchildren!

I would have listed our borders and still would. Essential travel and quarantine is my stance.

But given that we're not doing that we need to be accurate about what is happening. Nothing suggests that the Leicester spike is anything to do with the Pakistani community.

At the moment they're not amongst those infected.

Madbird37

Non essential travel does not include driving to a country pub to meet up with family and friends. The cluster is in an area of Leicester which has a high proportion of Asian families and a temp. testing station was set up there last week as a result of an increase in test requests from the community. The Mayor was on the news last night talking about not being aware of the increase in numbers, that people could just leave the city and go anywhere they pleased either into the countryside or Birmingham . What he should be advacting is for people to stay at home but then he was caught visiting a lady friend on more than one occasion during the lock down. Its no wonder the people of Leicester think he's an idiot. Thankfully there are no reported increase in hospital admission yet.

So it's all the fault of Asians, is it? Well, who'd have thought it?

GrannyGravy13

Logistically to put a cordon around Leicester to prevent all movement in and out would prove to be impossible unless the armed forces were to be deployed.

I would not have a problem with this, but I guess that I am in the minority?

I would agree with you. The only one to stop the spread at the moment is to isolate areas of high risk.

Callistemon

Well, Illte I can see that I'll be locked down until Christmas if flights start to increase from COVID hotspots anywhere in the world.

But never mind, eh, as long as your pc sensibilities are not offended.

How about the USA? Any flights coming in from that hotspot?

I assume you do realise that the 50% being reported is actually only 30 people and there's no indication that they have anything to do with the flare up in Leicester.

Far more people from Spain, Italy and France (most coming back as tourists) have brought infection with them.

Non essential travel does not include driving to a country pub to meet up with family and friends. The cluster is in an area of Leicester which has a high proportion of Asian families and a temp. testing station was set up there last week as a result of an increase in test requests from the community. The Mayor was on the news last night talking about not being aware of the increase in numbers, that people could just leave the city and go anywhere they pleased either into the countryside or Birmingham . What he should be advacting is for people to stay at home but then he was caught visiting a lady friend on more than one occasion during the lock down. Its no wonder the people of Leicester think he's an idiot. Thankfully there are no reported increase in hospital admission yet.

NotSpaghetti

This is something I read on the King's College app website. I'm posting it here as think it's pertinent. The "Anna" is a research scientist from Nottingham:

^Several studies have also shown that people of BAME (black, Asian, and minority ethnic) descent are at increased risk of the deadly effects of COVID-19.

Ana believes that this may be due to differences in glucose metabolism between different ethnicities. For example, African Americans are 60 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic white people. And people from South Asian communities are up to 6 times more likely to have diabetes than the general population.^

Here's the link. It's way more interesting than this above:

covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-blood-sugar-inflammation

Nottingham Uni has been working on the "sugary" coating of the coronavirus spikes, in co-operation with Oxford Uni.

Diabetes is a major risk factor for becoming seriously ill with Covid-19 (although not being infected in the first place). South Asians and some others have a genetic predisposition for T2 diabetes. It's still not 100% certain whether it's genetic or environmental - very probably both.

Well, Illte I can see that I'll be locked down until Christmas if flights start to increase from COVID hotspots anywhere in the world.

But never mind, eh, as long as your pc sensibilities are not offended.

How about the USA? Any flights coming in from that hotspot?

It was reported that a lot of people flying in from Pakistan go straight into hospital here.

Presumably they are a mixture of those who live here and are returning, as well as those visiting their relatives here.

Either way it sounds as if they were ill before they started the journey here yet it’s been said on here that there are no health checks at our airports.

Will we ever see the end of this virus if situations like this are permitted to continue?

Urmstongran

Not sure how this can work. It’s a recommendation.
Just like I believe those 500,000 on Bournemouth beach received the same recommendation. Worked well.

Especially as the people who came to Bournemouth were not local residents. Same had driven from as far as Peterborough.
Personally I would like to see a travel limit so local residents are not afraid to go out.

It has been proved through the last census that lei ester has a minority white british population.
My mum and Dd4 and brother and partner all live within the bounds of this lock down.
DM has only been out once since the 23rd march and niw is stuck in again. She has seeen many people from her windows not related not social distancing and comibg and going as they wish. She lives in tje west of. The city and these are predominantly white people.
I grew up in belgrave and yes asians do have a more family centred way of living so there are often more vulnerable people in their house holds.
teetime the market has been and still is open.
Soulsby was having visits to his girlfriend all through lock down and we're supposed to listen to him.
This is a situation we have not lived through before so we arenall learning as we go along. I wouldn't want to be in government right now. Who does have the right answers?

Callistemon

But the spike isn't in the Pakistani community.

Do you actually know if anyone has returned from Pakistan to their family in Leicester? Has any returnee to Leicester been diagnosed with Covid.

That would be a fact.

Callistemon

It's nothing to do with laying the blame on non-whites.

It's a fact that flights have now just resumed from Pakistan
It's a fact that Pakistan has a spike in cases
It's a fact that this country has failed to test and quarantine people arriving home from overseas.
It's a fact that, for reasons we don't yet understand, abpnd all other factors taken into account, BAME people are more susceptible to this virus.
It's a fact that meat processing factories seem to be sources of new and localised spikes in cases.

As flights are resumed and more Britons return from overseas, we may well see numbers of cases rise.

Absolutely - testing and quarantining everybody who arrives from an area with a higher rate than ours, or indeed any hotspot is the only way.
I hope political correctness will not obstruct a sensible and effective response. Blame doesn’t come into it -racism even less so.
Remember the Rochdale child sex abuse ring? We need to be honest and upfront.

This is something I read on the King's College app website. I'm posting it here as think it's pertinent. The "Anna" is a research scientist from Nottingham:

^Several studies have also shown that people of BAME (black, Asian, and minority ethnic) descent are at increased risk of the deadly effects of COVID-19.

Ana believes that this may be due to differences in glucose metabolism between different ethnicities. For example, African Americans are 60 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes than non-Hispanic white people. And people from South Asian communities are up to 6 times more likely to have diabetes than the general population.^

Here's the link. It's way more interesting than this above:

covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-blood-sugar-inflammation

My friend told me about the spike about 10 days ago and said that a hub had been set up there. He works in the NHS there and seemed to think that, sadly, it was going to affect the Asian community disproportionately.

It's nothing to do with laying the blame on non-whites.

It's a fact that flights have now just resumed from Pakistan
It's a fact that Pakistan has a spike in cases
It's a fact that this country has failed to test and quarantine people arriving home from overseas.
It's a fact that, for reasons we don't yet understand, abpnd all other factors taken into account, BAME people are more susceptible to this virus.
It's a fact that meat processing factories seem to be sources of new and localised spikes in cases.

As flights are resumed and more Britons return from overseas, we may well see numbers of cases rise.

I live about 12 miles from Leicester and always enjoy my visits there and was looking forward to going soon to the wonderful fresh food market, shops and cinema. I feel extremely sorry for the people of Leicester and hope these measures can be temporary and the virus controlled.

Well NotSpaghetti i must must have gone through a mainly asian area.
But i appreciate i may have the facts wrong.
And no i am not racist Illte,i have asian friends who i think the world of.

Teacher bashing, minority bashing, nothing to do with Cummings who is a plaster saint etc.
Great thread.

Re the meat processing.. I heard a virologist on the radio say its great conditions for the virus - cool/cold and moist air. Lots of spray and damp. Fairly close working conditions even with mitigations and lots of people sharing poor housing sites is low paid work.

I live 10 miles outside Leicester and visit it often - although I am not going anywhere present. The multi ethnic communities there are far more civilised than many white British communities I have seen. There appears to be some reason, other than culture, as to why non-white communities are more affected by the virus. We have enough racial prejudice in this country, without laying the blame for the virus on non-whites. And yes, before you ask, I am white British, although I am not always proud of it.

Surely makes sense to concentrate on the meat-processing plant before fussing about people getting off aeroplanes, or the ethnicity of the local population, which are not so very different in Leicester from umpteen other places..

GagaJo

Callistemon, no, people aren't checked when returning to the UK. They're advised to register where they're isolating on the You Gov website. But there is no check that they've done it at any point of entry to the UK.

Thanks Gagajo
A major failure and one which could result in another spike in cases as people return from overseas.

We could have been stuck overseas had we decided to go earlier than planned this year - and without travel insurance.

And before i get accused of being racist by some,let me tell you that is far from the truth as i am stating a fact.

Over half of the population of Leicester is actually White according to the most recent census. 37% are Asian timetogo2016 so I don't think you are as factual as you think.

Illte

A bit of researching on the Web.

The cases are mostly in the Eastern area of the city. There are British Indian, (Punjabi and Gujerati) communities there but also a white British community.

Im not sure why people think the Pakistani community is responsible for the spike. Its a small part of the population and not in the Eastern area.

It's starting to sound like a bit of a witch hunt to me.

Oh dear.
Facts are facts.

Two possible sources for the renewed outbreak
Fact:
People arriving home now flights have been re-started from a country which has a spike in cases
A meat processing factory

There are some provocateurs on here, as always.

The outbreaks in meat processing factories are very worrying too.
I wondered (but have heard no scientific evidence about this) whether or not there has been COVID19 present in animals before this but it is only recently that it has been able to transfer to humans and then human to human?