Bucks council launches campaign to curb rise in coronavirus cases
Posters to business and letters to households will be sent out
After an increase in coronavirus cases in Buckinghamshire the last two-weeks, the Council has started a campaign to remind people to comply with restrictions.
The vast majority of Buckinghamshire residents have been playing their part, adhering to the government guidance to help us all stay safe and doing our county proud.
However, the Council are warning about the rise in cases that our area has seen over the last 14 days.
In just over a month, the COVID infection rate per 100,000 Buckinghamshire residents has risen from very low levels of single figures to 87 per 100,000.
This increase was initially amongst those aged under 30, but it's now spreading into the older population where this terrible virus can be life threatening.
If this increase continues, the Council are warning that there is a very real prospect that Buckinghamshire will be required to move into a higher ‘Tier’ of restrictions with significant consequences on people’s personal freedoms, the local and national economy, our jobs, our High Streets and people’s social and mental health.
If we do not want this to happen then it is really important that we all come together and do our very best to stop the spread of this dreadful virus.
The best evidence is that the virus is being spread in Buckinghamshire by ‘community transmission’ in other words meeting and talking with other people outside our households either indoors or close up outdoors.
What should we be doing?
- We must all follow the ‘Hands, Face, and Space’ guidelines, as well as the new ‘Rule of Six’ for meeting people
- Pubs and restaurants are closing at 10pm and we should avoid mixing with others as we leave.
- Please don’t just buy alcohol from an off licence or supermarket and take friends home to carry on socialising, unless you are following the rule of six and socially distancing.
- Business owners must keep lists of visitors and we should work from home wherever possible and agreed with your company/organisation.
If contacted by Test and Trace please do not ignore this
From 28 September, you could be fined if you do not stay at home and self-isolate following a positive test result for COVID-19 or if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace and instructed to self-isolate.
Full guidance can be found here.
Leader of Buckinghamshire Council, Councillor Martin Tett, said:
“Over recent months we have all enjoyed our extra freedoms after lockdown. I want us to carry on living our lives and rebuilding our economy but we have to recognise that this virus never went away. What we must all do is stop and consider our responsibility to ourselves and each other.
"Mixing with friends is great but don’t do it indoors. I know that the weather is colder and wetter but think about meeting outdoors or going for a walk together instead. Also don’t have more than six people together at any one time and observe social distancing.
To ensure everyone living and working in Buckinghamshire stays safe and we prevent cases rising further, at the Council we are ramping up our communications so that the messaging is clear and available to all.
"We are sending out posters and flyers to all local businesses, delivering letters to all households, placing posters in public places, posting messages on our social media accounts – follow us @BucksCouncil - and working with the local media to ensure the prevention messages are available to everyone. If we all work together, we can beat this evil virus. If we don’t then our lives and communities could be changed for ever. “
Praise from Health Secretary
During the Health Secretary’s statement to the House of Commons about COVID-19 on Monday (19th Oct), the Rt Hon Dame Cheryl Gillan MP praised the initiative taken by the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust in posting a “strong local public health message” on YouTube, advising residents how to protect themselves against the virus and reduce its spread.
Dame Cheryl said:
“At the moment, the only defence against the virus is modifying people’s behaviour. Cases of covid are rising in Buckinghamshire, and we want to stay in tier 1. Our NHS trust and council have taken the initiative and filmed a strong local public health message, which is now on YouTube and social media and is recorded by Dr Tina Kenny, our medical director, asking local people to follow the rules to reduce the spread of this highly contagious virus. Will the Secretary of State commend this communication from our local health trust and council and encourage other health authorities and clinicians—who people trust and have confidence in—to engage directly with their populations to send these vital messages out?”
The Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP, the Health Secretary, joined his parliamentary colleague, praising the efforts of the NHS Trust and other local agencies:
“Yes. I applaud the work that has been done across Bucks to deliver public health messages and try to get the whole community to support the action that we all can play our part in and that my right hon. Friend rightly raises.”
Dame Cheryl, the MP for Chesham & Amersham, said later:
“ This is a great initiative by our hardworking Health Trust and Council and promoted by Dr Tina Kenny who emphasises that every means possible should be taken to get the public health message out to everybody in Buckinghamshire.
If people observe the restrictions we have an opportunity to reduce the contagion and ensure that both people are kept safe and businesses remain open. It is vital to halt the spread and also maintain our local economy.”