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Council leaders in Bradford and Barnsley have said they are not following Leicester into a local lockdown after figures revealed they had the second and third highest Covid-19 infection rates in England.
Bradford has said it is “working hard” to prevent another lockdown, while Barnsley stressed new restrictions are not needed.
The latest data shows Bradford has 69.4 cases per 100,000 population, the second highest in England behind Leicester with 140.2.
And Barnsley is third in the table with 54.7 cases per 100,000.
Bradford council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “We know that figures from Public Health England show Bradford with a high number of infections along with a number of other northern authorities, although we are some way behind Leicester.
“The number of people testing positive for the virus is still too high and we continue to work hard with all our partners to prevent infection spreading as no one wants a second lockdown.
“As we take more and more steps towards returning to a more normal life, it’s easy to believe that Covid-19 is less of a threat to our health and the health of our family and friends.
“This is simply not the case.
“We urge all residents to continue to follow the guidelines around staying at home as much as possible, social distancing, washing hands frequently and ensuring that they self-isolate and get tested if they, or anyone in their household, develop any symptoms.”
Meanwhile, council leaders in Barnsley said that up-to-date data has seen a drop in the average number of new cases for four consecutive days and they are continuing to “proactively manage the disease locally and in line with national guidance”.
In a joint statement, the town’s director for public health Julia Burrows and council leader Sir Steve Houghton said: “This is why we do not believe at this stage any further measures will need to be implemented such as the ones seen in Leicester.”
But they added: “The fact our rate has been high does mean that we ask for extra caution and vigilance by everyone in Barnsley.”
The statement said: “The number of cases is Barnsley is higher than the national average.
“We are seeing transmission in the community across the borough and, like many places across the country, have had clusters and outbreaks in a handful of care homes, schools and workplaces, as we expected would happen.”
The council said that the town has seen higher rates due to natural variation in the disease; targeted testing; high density of care homes; and an ageing population with high rates of underlying diseases.
It also said the town has seen a much slower reduction than the national average due to local clusters of cases including in a few care homes and workplaces.
Barnsley’s Royal Mail sorting office was closed last month and deep cleaned after an outbreak, with six members of staff testing positive.
