Why I oppose a circuit breaker lockdown by Harrogate MP Andrew Jones

North Yorkshire could be moved into Tier 2 Covid restrictions, along with all of Yorkshire, 'to end confusion'

But would a 'circuit breaker' to try and control the spread of COVID-19 as figures continue to rise, even in parts of North Yorkshire, be a good idea?

Would a two-week full national lockdown bring the virus back under control or would it be a catastrophe for the economy and already struggling businesses?

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones told the Harrogate Advertiser he was yet to be persuaded it was the right thing to do at this time.

He says he does not support a full national lockdown and favours a localised strategy.

Mr Jones said: "I don’t agree at this time with a so-called circuit breaker national lockdown.

"That is because infection rates are at very different levels across the country.

"We know restrictions cause issues for other health conditions and have a huge impact on the economy, so they should be used sparingly.

"Why, for instance, should a business in Knaresborough or Harrogate suffer because infection rates are very high in Liverpool or people stay at home in Cornwall because of an outbreak in Manchester.

"That doesn’t make sense.

"In the spring it was the right thing to do as it was surging everywhere.

"The circumstances are now very different and much more localised, so we need a local response."

The Harrogate MP said the key to keeping Covid under control was in the hands of the community itself and that putting areas with lower rates of infection under the same restrictions as areas with five times the infection rate or more would cause unnecessary hardship.

Mr Jones said: "I have said from the start that beating this disease will be a community effort.

"It means local people, councils and businesses accepting that responsibility and taking ownership of controlling infection rates.

"In our area it is that community effort that has seen consistently lower levels of infection than in neighbouring areas."

But, should there be found to be no alternative, Mr Jones said he feared the economic impact of such a new 'circuit breaker' lockdown would be sharper on the hospitality sector in the Harrogate district this time round.

Mr Jones said: "I hope a new general lockdown does not happen. But if the spread of the virus requires it, then it may be required.

"If so, there will be a significantly negative effect on businesses up and down the country.

"In an area like ours where employment is weighted towards the hospitality and tourism sector that effect will be sharper than in areas less dependent upon that sector.

"That is why a more localised approach is the correct one in my view; areas with high infection rates should take measures to reduce that rate; areas with lower infection rates should continue to use measures to keep the rate low.

"Putting those areas under the same restrictions as areas with five times the infection rate or more would cause unnecessary hardship."

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