A district of Kent has become England’s worst-hit Covid hotspot, with local leaders putting the jump in cases down to deprivation and a “wilful disregard of the rules”. Amid concerns over compliance with coronavirus restrictions, the leader of Swale council, Roger Truelove, called an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to address the soaring case numbers. The council will therefore “supercharge the messaging to people” to take the pandemic seriously and follow the restrictions in place. Jack Connor, who represents Swale at the Kent youth county council, agreed that cases had risen sharply in the area because residents, including young people, had been “flouting the rules”. He is supportive of the area entering tier 3 restrictions and hopes the latest figures will be a wake-up call to residents.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2020 18:51 UTC