More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A group of Kent MPs will meet with health secretary Matt Hancock today over concerns about the county having the most severe coronavirus restrictions imposed.
Several raised concerns with the government's decision last week saying Kent and Medway should not have been placed into Tier 3 because some districts and boroughs have much lower levels than other areas.
The Medway Towns has the third highest rate in the country with 472.2 cases per 100,000 in the latest data released on Sunday showing it is one of three areas in the country still seeing cases growing.
Infections are spreading fast with the rate increasing by 31% between November 17 and 24 – from 360.4 cases per 100,000.
Swale remains the area with the most infections in the population per 100,000 and its rate is now 575, although this has dropped in recent days since it hit 654.3 per 100,000 on November 16.
Thanet is the fourth highest in England according to the latest numbers published and is just below Medway with 455.2 cases per 100,000. But has also seen its case rate slow down since reaching its peak of 525.6 on November 13.
The MPs argue the numbers dropping – along with considerably lower case rates in other parts of the county such as Tunbridge Wells (78.3) and Ashford (129.2) – means Kent should not have been given the blanket covering of Tier 3.
In an open letter to Mr Hancock, the group of MPs – Damian Green, Tracey Crouch, Tom Tugendhat, Damian Collins, Helen Grant, Greg Clark and Natalie Elphicke – said they were "extremely disappointed" to see Kent placed into the top band.
It reads: "As you know from our previous representations, Kent is a very large county with distinct areas within it, which is reflected in the vast differences in the incidence of Covid.
"These restrictions, as well as dealing a big blow to the local businesses in our communities, risk underminding public support for measures if they are seen not to be justified by the incidence of Covid.
"We think that a much better approach would be a more local one - such as at a Borough of District level."
It also demands that Mr Hancock provide evidence for the decision, and promise to review it as soon as possible.
The tier review date set by the government is December 16.
Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott said that she was "initially surprised and disappointed" at the government's move, but that she now understood the government's logic.
The Conservative said increasing pressure on the county's hospitals such as Medway Maritime Hospital and Darent Valley Hospital which are operating at virtually full capacity with Medway redirecting patients to other hospitals was behind her decision.
She said: "There is simply no leeway in our hospital capacity, and it is vital that we use every tool possible to prevent a further rise in cases from their already high base locally.
"This means that I have reluctantly accepted that tier 3 is necessary for our area at present.
"The government has pledged to review our status in two weeks. If there is a reduction in pressure on our hospitals, I will push very hard for us to return to a district level tier system in Kent."
