Residents and visitors in the Falmouth area are being asked to stay covid aware and take precautions as virus cases increase in the town.

Restaurants, pubs, clubs, and bars are also being urged to make sure they are well ventilated and encourage staff to keep testing twice a week with Lateral Flow Tests (LFT).

The latest figures (August 11th) show Falmouth North has a rate of 726 cases per 100,000 with Falmouth East on 657.1, Falmouth West and South on 536.9 and Penryn on 695.5.

These figures compare to 303 for Cornwall as a whole.

The rise in cases is believed to be down to a combination of factors including the lifting of national restrictions and the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, as well as the high number of visitors and the abundance of hospitality venues in the town where people can mix.

Cornwall Council's Public Health team says this has all led to a sharp increase in community transmission.

Ruth Goldstein, Deputy Director for Public Health, said:

"We continue to work closely with Falmouth Town Council, Falmouth BID, and other organisations to make sure venues across the town are as covid-safe as possible.

"We would urge businesses, and especially hospitality venues, to make sure they are well-ventilated and have good hygiene and cleaning measures in place.

"It is also a good idea to ask staff to test twice a week with Lateral Flow Tests to try and identify positive cases before the virus has chance to spread through the workforce."

She added:

"We are also encouraging people to get vaccinated as soon as they can and have been working closely with the NHS to put on extra vaccination clinics for Falmouth.

"Additionally, we encourage the public to take regular Lateral Flow Tests, self-isolate when necessary, and follow basic guidance such as regularly washing or sanitizing hands, wearing a mask indoors, in crowds or on public transport, and keeping your distance from others where possible."

Cllr Andy Virr, Cornwall Council Portfolio Holder for Adults and Public Health, added:

"The relaxed restrictions have allowed people to socialise more and get out and about, which has been great for businesses and also for everyone's mental health and wellbeing.

"But this has gone hand in hand with an increase in Covid cases and we just need to be careful that we don't end up in another situation where restrictions or even lockdowns have to be reimposed to regain control.

"We're just asking residents and visitors in Falmouth to be mindful that the virus is still out there and to do whatever they can to stop it from spreading."

For more information on the pandemic and the latest guidance click here.

In response to the council's warning, Jayne Kirkham - Cornwall Councillor for Falmouth Penwerris commented:

"We still have some of the lowest second vaccination rates in the area. Just 56% of people have been double jabbed in Falmouth according to the government coronavirus data map.

"Have I mentioned recently that we need more easily accessible walk in vaccination centres in Falmouth? There's one this weekend, it's not enough."

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