Throughout recent weeks reports have shown a worrying rise of coronavirus cases in the Buckinghamshire area and numbers are predicted to increase during upcoming weeks.
As of Thursday 5th November, a second national lockdown was imposed. The issue of a second lockdown caused non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues to close once again. This lockdown differs from the previous lockdown as this time around, schools, colleges, and universities have remained open.
The issue of a second lockdown was imposed with the hope of seeing a decrease in coronavirus cases across the UK. However, are Buckinghamshire cases still seeing an increase within the county and surrounding areas?
On October 28th, Buckinghamshire coronavirus cases saw an increase by 113 in the time span of 24 hours. Even after the imposement of a second lockdown, as of November 12th, Buckinghamshire coronavirus cases have increased by 137 during a 24 hour time period. This has seen a daily average increase of coronavirus cases in comparison to the previous month of October.
Many are frustrated by government regulations and rules that have been set, as many believe that schools, colleges, and universities should have been closed alongside non-essential shops. This could potentially be a major reason for the continued increase of coronavirus cases in Buckinghamshire and other areas across the country.
However, a study carried out by UCL (University College London) suggested that “School closures do not appear to have a significant effect on the spread of infections during coronavirus outbreaks such as COVID-19.” This study supports the government's belief that schools, colleges and universities should continue to remain open throughout this second lockdown. Due to information given out, many are still continuing to debate whether school closures support the increase of coronavirus cases.
During these unprecedented times, many are still unsure of the impact coronavirus will continue to have. Information on the COVID-19 virus is still unknown, leaving the entirety of the world unsure on what the future of the virus will bring to countries and individuals. However, new research continues to bring the hope that coronavirus cases will eventually begin to decrease.
