Horsham dubbed England’s ‘Covid capital’

Official figures show that the Horsham district has a Covid rate of 930 cases per 100,000 people.

The only other areas with higher rates in the UK are in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The news follows the Government announcement yesterday that all Covid restrictions will end in England on Thursday and that free mass testing will stop from April 1.

And it has led to some people claiming that the lifting of restrictions is ‘too soon.’

Horsham Councillor Christine Costin said: “We do need more normality to encourage economic recovery but Covid-19 has NOT gone and no one really knows how it will respond over time.

“Currently, it is still extremely active as Omicron which is a milder variant of the original virus. It is probable that other mutations will occur that may be far more severe.

“Removing all precautions at once not only opens up more freedoms to the public it opens up greater freedom for the virus which could spread more quietly and quickly, unfettered by tests and precautions.

“There are thousands of people who are particularly vulnerable to the worst effects of this virus, people of all ages who will be at serious risk.

“They will be less able to mix in society if they are not cushioned from harm by a range of safeguarding measures used by others.”

And she urged people: “Please be responsible, continue to prevent the spread of infection for yourselves and for all the people around you.”

While the Horsham district has the highest Covid rate in the country - leading one national newspaper to dub the district England’s ‘Covid capital - figures for neighbouring areas show that Crawley has a Covid rate of 688 cases per 100,000 people and Mid Sussex has a Covid rate of 671 cases per 100,000 people.

Announcing his ‘Living with Covid plan’ yesterday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Covid has not gone away” and he urged people to take personal responsibility over the virus.

The plan means that from now all school staff and students will no longer have to test twice a week.

People with Covid will no longer be legally required to self isolate and routine contact tracing will end.

But guidance remains for those who test positive to stay home and avoid contact with other people for at least five days.