“Danger of Unrest” in Bolton If Local Lockdown Imposed Because of Indian Covid Variant, Council Leader Warns

Ministers met on Tuesday to discuss emergency plans that could see local lockdown restrictions being imposed in Indian Covid variant “hotspots”, with Boris Johnson saying that things will be clearer in “days“. But the Leader of Bolton Council has warned that there is a “danger of unrest” if local restrictions are used in the area. Sky News has the story.

David Greenhalgh, a Conservative and head of the local authority, said that previous implementations of the coronavirus measures were ineffective in the region.

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Mr Greenhalgh was asked if it was true he had warned Health Secretary Matt Hancock about civil unrest in the event of local Covid restrictions.

The councillor said: “I do think there is a danger of unrest.

“There was a great deal of resentment. Bolton was… disproportionately affected, really since July last year, and even when our rates were coming down, we still remained in lockdown when other areas rates were higher than ours.”

Bolton is currently one of the hotspots of the Indian variant of the coronavirus.

Cases have doubled in the last week, and 19 people are in hospital, according to Mr Hancock.

Mr Greenhalgh added: “We are putting all the measures in that we can at the moment. We have community spread, there’s no doubt about that, and we’re holding back a variant that would appear – although the evidence is still being gathered – to be a little bit more transmissible, easily transmissible.

“The majority of our cases are in very much our younger age groups – primary school, secondary school and in their 20s.

“We still haven’t got an increase in hospitalisation and severe illness, which is hugely welcome, those figures still remain low.”

As Will Jones highlighted in an earlier post, the number of Covid cases in Bolton – as well as in Blackburn with Darwen, another Indian variant hotspot – already seems to be flattening.

The Sky News report is worth reading in full.

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42 Comments
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yLivi.
4 years ago

Has anyone checked the covid situation in India? The “variant wave” is swiftly declining and recoveries soar. Only yesterday they reported 380,000 recoveries vs 280,000 new cases. Recoveries are more than 2 mil. in the last week. India had a very high percentage of over 50% in latest serology surveys and may have already reached herd immunity. A silent mute of new cases is expected in the weeks to come.

BurlingtonBertie
4 years ago
Reply to  yLivi.

The Spectator Covid Tracker site updates daily & shows that in all regions of India the number of new positive tests is falling.

The Spectator Covid Tracker | National | The Spectator

RickH
4 years ago

… and, of course, the actual mortality rate in India remains below the world average (if you even accept the data in general) – and way, way below the rate accrued in the UK by Johnson’s government.

RickH
4 years ago
Reply to  yLivi.

… and the ‘upsurge’ seems – again – to the deployment of ‘vaccines’.

realarthurdent
4 years ago
Reply to  yLivi.

Indeed.

Capture.JPG
burke19
4 years ago
Reply to  yLivi.

Thick line = infections. Thin line = deaths.

India.png
burke19
4 years ago
Reply to  burke19

And in comparison to the UK (data adjusted for population).
UK = Green. India = Blue.

India and UK.png
burke19
4 years ago
Reply to  burke19

Modelled active infections. Data up to today based on infections and deaths, data after today modelled.

Model.png
Lilacblue
Lilacblue
4 years ago

So these school children and young people, are they actually ill with symptoms?

wayno
4 years ago
Reply to  Lilacblue

Now i can t speak for all, but in my area, v/close to blackburn, its driven by pos test in schools.

karenovirus
4 years ago
Reply to  Lilacblue

We should keep a very close eye on that claim that ‘cases are among primary, secondary school (pupils) and 20’s’ and the people making that claim.

If true that would actually be cause for genuine concern as it would mark a fundamental change in the nature of the virus but somehow I doubt it.

wayno
4 years ago
Reply to  karenovirus

The heatmap on https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ shows the age of positive test results.

Deborah T
Deborah T
4 years ago
Reply to  Lilacblue

Almost certainly not. For about a hundred years until 2020, ‘cases’ meant someone who was ill, with symptoms of a disease. Now a ‘case’ means someone who has ‘tested positive’ with a PCR test (invented by a scientist who said it should never be used to diagnose) and will in most cases not be ill in any way at all.

Noumenon
4 years ago

This has to STOP!

RickH
4 years ago

The Sky News report is worth reading in full.”

Of course it’s bloody well not. It’s all about mythological garbage – Scary Fairy ‘variants’ and ‘cases’ etc.

Seen it umpteen times before.. Now bin it.

nottingham69
nottingham69
4 years ago
Reply to  RickH

SKY is never worth reading or watching at all.

Crystal Decanter
4 years ago
Reply to  nottingham69

Sky Oz is better

Catee
4 years ago

“Cases have doubled in the last week, and 19 people are in hospital, according to Mr Hancock.”
If they were hospitalised because of covid the mendacious Handoncock would say so.

huxleypiggles
4 years ago
Reply to  Catee

19 people. Duckin hell.

huxleypiggles
4 years ago
Reply to  Catee

19?

Duckin hell!

Woden
Woden
4 years ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

Quackers!

Attaboy
Attaboy
4 years ago

Yeees! Finally! Bring on the unrest… this pandemic might just have a hollywood ending

Cecil B
Cecil B
4 years ago
Reply to  Attaboy

Je suis Bolton

Annie
4 years ago
Reply to  Cecil B

Ich bin ein Boltonier.

burke19
4 years ago
Reply to  Annie

Ich auch – wir müssen zusammen halten!

oculus.empiricus
oculus.empiricus
4 years ago
Reply to  Attaboy

Or even a bollywood ending……

Smelly Melly
4 years ago

I wonder which group will be most vocal in multicultural Boulton?

Annie
4 years ago
Reply to  Smelly Melly

Let them all just SHOUT, in whatever language or idiom they prefer, but LOUDLY.

Annie
4 years ago

Go it, Boltonians. Be unresful. Fight the Fascists. Be free.

J4mes
4 years ago

Well this could be very interesting. If we see civil unrest from ethnic groups, how will plod respond? Will BBC et al report it? I’m getting the popcorn…

tom171uk
4 years ago
Reply to  J4mes

If there is civil unrest from ethnic groups the BBC will present it as being against white privilege rather than against lockdown. Plod will take the knee.

Jane G
Jane G
4 years ago

Don’t understand?!
If Bolton was such a hotspot last year, you’d think there was a greater degree of HI. on the other hand, a positive PCR doesn’t rule out recovery from a recent (i.e <80 days ago) infection, I suppose.

TheyLiveAndWeLockdown
4 years ago

Refusing house arrest for a non-crime is now unrest…

Annie
4 years ago

Staying in the house owing to government-inspired terror is a quaver rest.

FrankFisher
4 years ago

Good. The more unrest the better. There damn well should be.

Occamsrazor
Occamsrazor
4 years ago

Good. Hope there is unrest.

cloud6
4 years ago

Unrest?. A tale from history. When Henry 8th had trouble (rebellion) up north he sent in the troops to sort them out. It was a bloody end for the rebellious. Johnson and his cohorts have not got the guts, they will take the knee…. LOL,LOL

Hugh
Hugh
4 years ago
Reply to  cloud6

Last year’s ruddy well been a wasting of the north. Remember that map (on LS) from last year dividing Britain into three areas (f*****, a bit dodgy, safe). Bring on the “unrest”!

JimByJovi
JimByJovi
4 years ago

“Stop a Bolton Lockdown”.
Don’t get tested?

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago

This is the ninth consecutive week that deaths have been lower than the five-year average in England. ONS. Johnson and Hancock are lying evil **** and need to be stopped. Can’t believe what this country has come to

huxleypiggles
4 years ago

19 people in hospital.

That’s it – we’re doomed.

Oh my God.

Hugh
Hugh
4 years ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

Blimey, have they cut more hospital beds?