Coronavirus: Sheffield to get 'enhanced support' as cases rise
Sheffield has been made an "area of enhanced support" by Public Health England following a continued rise in coronavirus cases.
Nearby Rotherham has also been added as an "area of concern". Sheffield's latest seven-day infection rate on 28 September was 105.3 cases per 100,000 people, up from 70.6 the previous week. For the same period, Rotherham recorded 91.6 cases per 100,000 people, up from 62.5 the week before. There are no extra restrictions being imposed as a result of the changes at the moment. But South Yorkshire's mayor, Dan Jarvis, said now was the time for everyone to play their part in reducing the number of cases. "We'll have a very tough winter ahead of us if we don't act now and slow the spread of coronavirus," he said. "If case numbers continue to increase, we won't hesitate to call on the government to bring in local lockdown measures." Previously, Mr Jarvis had called for the government to draft in the military to help with coronavirus testing in the region. What is an 'area of enhanced support'? Public Health England publishes a weekly watchlist of local authorities as part of its report on coronavirus infections. It has three categories: A local lockdown could be the next step if area of intervention support fails to stem the infection rate. Earlier, the University of Sheffield confirmed it had recorded 116 cases since the start of the academic year. The institution said those affected were following government guidelines and support was available. Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.