WARRINGTON’S director for public health is bracing for a ‘critical week’ in the town’s fight against coronavirus.

The rate of new coronavirus cases in Warrington quadrupled within the space of the week and currently stands at 104.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Thara Raj only started in her new role in August, but has a background of managing acute infections and outbreaks and has the practical skills to help the town navigate through the coronavirus pandemic.

And while falling short of defining the recent increase in cases as a ‘second wave’ of the virus, she says that there is a real fear that Warrington is heading in the same direction as Bolton, which has the highest new case rate in the England.

“We have observed a quadrupling of our case rate in a week, although I am not sure whether you would call that a second wave or not,” Thara said.

“We border Greater Manchester and are not too far away from places like Liverpool and the Wirral, which are seeing sharp rises in cases.

“Warrington is very much one of those places that people like to come in and out of, and even before we saw this increase, the cases in Warrington were much higher than our surrounding boroughs.

“Our rate is in the top ten in the country, which is worrying, and if we quadrupled in a week again, we would be in Bolton territory, and that is a real fear.”

Despite this, Thara says that there is a reluctance to implement strict lockdown-style measures, with the probability that similar guidance such as not visiting other households could be promoted.

“The stopping of people coming into your house unless you are in their bubble is important, because the messages nationally are to keep socially distant,” she continued.

“But infections spread more easily at home, so it is best not to invite others into your home unless you have to, or they are your support bubble .

“This is like being in a box, which is easier for germs to spread, and the chance of picking up the virus elsewhere and spreading to others in your household is significantly higher.

“This is why we sent that message out. It is advisory, but it is strong advice to try and stop the case rate from quadrupling in a week again.”

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Thara admitted that calls not to visit other households and the ‘rule of six’ are challenging, but says it is something we must do to keep safe.

She added: “It is personally hard, especially as you want to go out or have people round, but the next week is going to be critical.

“We need to do everything we can, which includes keeping our distance, washing our hands, making sure we are wearing clean face coverings and building this into our daily routines.”