PATROLS to make sure people are following social distancing and checks at city restaurants and pubs are being carried out in the hopes of avoiding a local lockdown.

Oxford has been on 'amber alert' due to a surge in positive tests, with the number of new cases in the city in the week ending August 21 at 41, which is 26.9 cases per 100,000.

This was up from 28 the week before, which was already a rise on 16 to August 7 – though cases in the last few days do appear to be lower.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire's director of public health, has described the surge as 'unsettling' and that it is 'undoubtedly' 18-29-year-olds driving the rise, with returning holidaymakers also blamed.

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In an effort to fully turn the tide on new infections, Oxford City Council has announced six officers are carrying out daily patrols and inspections in the city centre, as well as district centres such as Cowley Road to make sure people are following the rules.

Pubs and restaurants are also being checked to ensure they are following government requirements.

The local authority has been working with shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes to emphasise the use of face masks and collecting track and trace data, in particular with late night food vans and takeaways where social distancing is difficult.

Oxford Mail:

Weekly coronavirus rates per Oxfordshire district. Picture: Oxfordshire County Council

It has also been contacting taxi and private hire companies to encourage drivers to wear face masks while working and customers to do the same.

Outside the city centre, East Oxford Community Hub team, where there was a coronavirus spike at the end of July, are also working with businesses on the Cowley Road and at Templars Square.

The authority is also appealing for face mask donations for its food boxes, to help those struggling to afford face masks.

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It has warned if cases continue to rise, then it is 'likely' some local measures will be introduced and added, in common with other parts of the country, the evidence is 'at least some' of the rise is due to people returning from holiday and testing positive.

In response to the rise in cases among young people the council has also been using social media to promote mask wearing, especially on buses, as well as targeting areas where young people live and gather with posters in bus stops and on community noticeboards.

A mobile testing unit was also set up in Oxford between Friday and Sunday at the car park in Union Street, just off Cowley Road, behind Tesco, to identify cases and aid track and trace.

Mr Azhar said: “My appeal to everyone in Oxford is to remember what got us out of lockdown.

"Do we really want to end up with the kind of local control measures we have seen introduced in various parts of Lancashire, Yorkshire, Leicester and Aberdeen?

“At the minute it feels like we are moving in that direction. People need to be aware their behaviour is putting themselves and others at risk.

"If you’re young and catch Covid-19, you’re absolutely not guaranteed to get away with the mildest symptoms. Even mild symptoms are a struggle, while longer-term symptoms can include chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and memory loss.

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“Equally you may well pass this onto older or more vulnerable people. How would you feel if you knew that someone was in hospital in a ventilator with their life under threat because you’d passed Covid-19 on to them?"

City council leader Susan Brown said the authority had been working hard to get the message out to residents, businesses and staff.

She added: “Alongside promoting the safety message we have been caring for our most vulnerable community members through our donations scheme and locality hubs.

"We have also supported local businesses to run safely and efficiently through our safety inspections and engagement.

“We are working through all our networks to try to get the message out widely across the city, we need residents and businesses to take action now."

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The councillor described the virus as 'an opportunist' and said: "Every time we bend the rules ‘just this once’ we give it an opportunity to spread.

"We all hope we can avoid a local lockdown in Oxford, but to do that we all need to stick to the guidelines,.

“I would urge residents in our city to keep up to date with the latest news and advice through our social media, and to remain vigilant.

"Our community safety measures and all of us abiding by the rules will allow us to enjoy all that our wonderful city has to offer.”