Some restaurants and bars in Southport have begun to close their doors temporarily to keep customers safe as Covid-19 cases in the Sefton and Liverpool City Region continue to rise.
Latest figures revealed tonight show that Coronavirus cases in Sefton have risen from 546 in a week to 851.
This has led to a rate of 307.9 per 100,000, making Sefton the ninth highest in the country.
Some restaurants and bars have decided that now is the best time to close their doors until the figures subside.
They include The Grasshopper, on Sandon Road in Hillside in Southport.
Angie and Andrew from the venue said: “The safety of our customers and staff is paramount to us at The Grasshopper. “We have endeavoured to operate in a Covid secure manner and have followed all Government guidance.
“We are pleased to say that we have had no incidents of infection in our staff or customers.
Read More: Covid-19 cases see Southport and Mere Brow venues close temporarily
“However with the rapidly increasing infection rate locally we feel that it will only be a matter of time before a customer is exposed to the virus.
“We have decided to put everyones’ safety ahead of profit and have taken the difficult decision to close for a short period.
“We will continue to offer home delivery for fresh real ale and cider and wine via our online shop, and have extended our delivery area. you can order by clicking on the link below.
https://grasshopper-107043.square.site/
“Please take care and stay safe.”
Skylight, on Lord Street in Southport, has also made the decision to close temporarily.
They said: “New restrictions in the North West have been impacting business, especially small ones like us.
“To be in line with restrictions and do our bit to bring the R level down, the best way we decided is to close our shop for a couple of weeks.
“We will be back soon once the restrictions are eased a bit and serve our customers with the same energy back again.”
Under latest figures published tonight, Sefton is now in the top 10 Covid-19 hotspots in England, with boroughs in the Liverpool City Region taking 5 of the places in the list.
Covid-19 cases – The Top 10
1 – Manchester 529.4 (2927), 246.4 (1362)
2 – Knowsley 498.5 (752), 324.1 (489)
3 – Liverpool 487.1 (2426), 306.4 (1526)
4 – Newcastle upon Tyne 434.9 (1317), 268.1 (812)
5 – Burnley 411.6 (366), 303.6 (270)
6 – Nottingham 382.4 (1273), 59.5 (198)
7 – Leeds 316.8 (2513), 144.9 (1149)
8 – St Helens 311.8 (563), 208.8 (377)
9 – Sefton 307.9 (851), 197.5 (546)
10 – Halton 299.0 (387), 250.4 (324)
Here is the list in full. From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the seven days to October 2; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to October 2; rate of new cases in the seven days to September 25; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the seven days to September 25.
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