Richmond has all-but caught up with the London average for Covid-19 infections.

Since the pandemic started, 881 residents of Richmond borough per 100,000 in the population have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The London average is 886 cases per 100,000 people.

In an illustration of the second wave of the virus - and how it has taken hold in Richmond - our infection rate stood at 400 cases per 100,000 people less than a month ago on September 25.

So it has more than doubled and more than half our total number of cases have been registered in this period. The London average stood at 540 cases per 100,000 on September 25, so it has climbed more slowly.

Today (Friday, October 23) Richmond Council leader Gareth Roberts spoke to the borough in his weekly video address.

He said his administration is drawing up guidance for upcoming celebrations such as Halloween.

More tests were carried out in the past week than ever before and there have been no new deaths due to the virus.

Mr Roberts' message

"Hello, these are the Covid-19 statistics for Richmond upon Thames. Over the last seven days we have seen 281 new cases of the virus linked to the borough, bringing the total number of cases identified since March 2020 to 1,678.

"There have been no new deaths directly linked to the virus over the last seven days within the borough. Therefore since February the total number of deaths stands at 153.

"We have tested 2,969 people over the last seven days and have had a positive return rate on those tests of 8.1%. The discrepancy between the number of cases identified and the positive return rate is explained by people having more than one test.

"These figures are still high. Much higher than what we are used to in the borough and therefore it is absolutely vital that we all play our part to ensure that we are controlling the spread of the virus.

"In particular, at this time of year we are used to seeing large gatherings either for celebratory events or commemorative events. So we're looking at things such as Halloween, Bonfire Night, Diwali and of course Remembrance Sunday. And we will be issuing guidance over the coming weeks as to how these events can be marked within the borough as safely as possible.

"In the meantime, please do follow the guidance. Wash your hands wherever possible, wear a face mask or covering when travelling on public transport or in shops, supermarkets or similarly enclosed public spaces, maintain a social distance of 2 metres and follow the rule of six.

"It is absolutely vital that we adhere to the additional regulations which have been set down for Tier 2 areas. In the meantime, please stay healthy and stay safe. Thank you."

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