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Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on June 29 Leicester would be the only city in England not allowed to ease lockdown restrictions this weekend. Speaking to the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said: “We cannot recumbent the easing of the national lockdown, set to take place on July 4, happen in Leicester. Having taken clinical advice on the actions necessary, and discussed them with the local team in Leicester and Leicestershire, we have made some difficult but important decisions. We have decided that from tomorrow, non-essential retail will have to close.”

Why has Leicester had a covid spike?

Officials have requested more time to get the situation under control in Leicester after Public Health England identified 3,216 cases since the start of lockdown – 944 of which have been in the last two weeks.

There have been increasing outbreaks in workplaces such as clothing factories and food production sites, as well as in large multi-generational households.

Language barriers and high levels of poverty and deprivation combined with the need to work, are thought to be responsible for Leicester’s spike in infections.

Leicester public health director Ivon Browne said that he felt it was unclear what had brought on the spike in the city.

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Mr Browne added: “Interestingly, it is very much around the younger working age population and predominantly towards the east part of our city.

“I don’t think at the moment we’re seeing a single cause or a single smoking gun on this.

“So we need to really try and dig down and find out what is going on and it’s likely to be a combination of factors. Information has been challenging all the way through this.”

The spike in infections means Leicester has three times more cases than the city with the next highest total.

The Government’s decision to extend lockdown in Leicester has been slammed by the city’s Labour mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby.

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He said: “If the virus is out of control or spreading with the restrictions, I can’t see how extending them a further two weeks would many any difference.

“What we have got is an assessment of the situation which admits that the increase in positives is as a result of increased testing, and that there is perhaps nothing significant in those results.

“If there is anything out there, we need to see it and it needs to be visible at street level.”

The Department of Health has sent out four military-operated mobile testing units to Leicester in an effort to test residents.

Thousands of home testing kits are also being made available to residents of the city.

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Health operatives hope to identify as many cases as they can and trace the infected’s contacts, so they can also be told to isolate.

They will also be contacting open businesses to encourage them to adopt control measures to curb the virus.

Adverts in multiple languages will appear on TV and radio, while street signs will encourage people to stay at home.

An estimated 28 percent of Leicester’s population are of Indian heritage, while a further 21 percent are from Black or Asian backgrounds.

Unite, which says it is the biggest Trade Union in Leicester, is backing calls for a targeted lockdown across the city.

Regional secretary for East Midlands, Paresh Patel said: “This spike in coronavirus cases across the city is extremely worrying.

“Everyone needs to now play their part in getting this under control as rapidly as possible with localised lockdowns as necessary.”

Claudia Webbe, Labour MP for Leicester East, said that another lockdown period was necessary due to a “perfect storm” of poverty, positive tests and an ethically diverse population.

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