Some inaccurate info here regarding the north west.
Rates in the NW as a whole increased mid way through lockdown.
I’m in Lake District, and have family and friends in many of the ‘towns between Liverpool and manchester’.
Higher rates in lakes was from the very beginning, way before lockdown. Many suggesting return hold from Italy. More testing also in Cumbria, which pushes case rates up quite a bit, but still sadly too many deaths for such a small overall population.
But it was not tourist flouting lockdown that caused this at all. This is so far from the truth. Only occasional floaters came here during lockdown and the problem was already ahead of them.
Further down, in Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, cases increased during lockdown and are still soaring. Most people there were well behaved during the quarantine.
There’s no real understanding as yet just why it has worked this way.
Realistically, whilst south lakes has a high proportional death/case rate, only 2 deaths were reported in my vicinity in past month.
It is bad in barrow in Furness, and that is far from a tourist attraction. Visitors don’t even pass through it. So we can’t blame visitors for that!
In the greater manchester towns I’m familiar with I also do not know of anyone who died. But I hear of deaths through friends jobs (nhs, etc).
So whilst I and my friends are in high rate areas, I am another who does not know anyone who has had the virus or died of it.
It’s just weird like that, I suppose.
Here’s hoping it stays that way.
Condolences to everyone who has experienced this 💐