Richmond has reached another unwanted landmark in the battle against Covid-19.

Our borough's overall infection rate now stands at 400.5 cases per 100,000 people in the population.

It increased after two recent days when a higher-than-normal number of positive tests were recorded: nine people tested positive last Tuesday (September 22) followed by 10 people two days later.

To give you an illustration of how quickly the infection rate has risen: Richmond's rate of infection was 303 cases per 100,000 in mid-August. And it was 278.8 on July 31.

This means it has risen by a third in the past 40 days. London's and the UK average infection rate have increased at roughly similar rates.

The jumps led to London being placed on the national coronavirus watchlist on Friday (September 25).

Richmond Council issued a newsletter titled Help us avoid a local lockdown and said: "It is a stark reminder that now is time for us all to pull together and take action to keep ourselves, our families and communities safe.

"There are no additional measures for London at this stage but we all need to play our part and follow the guidance!"

Week-by-week infection rate

The latest week-by-week coronavirus rates for South West London were published by Public Health England on Friday (September 25).

Although they show a fall in infection rates, experts warned this is not reflective of the real situation, seen by the rise in more recent days.

Public Health England's figures in Richmond showed a fall in the rate of new cases per 100,000 people in the population.

It dropped from 17.3 to 11.2 cases in the week between September 14-20.

In Kingston cases also fell from 14.2 to 13.7 cases per 100,000. Wandsworth showed a rate of 17.8 cases, down from 23 the week before.

Areas of concern

Professor Kevin Fenton, London regional director for Public Health England, said the fact London has been placed on the watchlist as an area of concern "is a reflection of the rising number of cases of Covid-19 being shown by a range of indicators".

He said: "We are currently seeing much more widespread transmission in the city and being recognised as an area of concern is an important step in our efforts to control the virus.

"We are continuing to keep a watching brief on the situation and this new status will enable us to respond more rapidly and with additional measures should cases rise further and faster."

An 'area of concern' status means additional community and care home testing and increased community engagement with high risk groups.

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