Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the correlation between the high number of people from all tiers who visited Cornwall in summer 2020 and used its public venues and hospitality and that county's status as the area with the lowest cases of infection with and deaths from covid-19.

Throughout the pandemic, Cornwall has consistently been one of the areas with the lowest infection rates in England. During summer 2020, we observed lower COVID-19 prevalence in all regions. Throughout the summer, measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 were in place such as the national test and trace service, restrictions on large gatherings, guidance on COVID-19 secure workplaces, social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene. Furthermore, the summer allowed for more outdoor activities and socialisation which pose a lower risk of spread of COVID-19 compared to indoor activities.