'Living with Covid does not mean ignoring it': Warning to Cornwall ahead of Easter
Anyone with symptoms of the virus is being urged to stay at home
Cornwall is being warned that living with Covid does not mean ignoring it as we head towards the Easter holidays.
Our public health team says high case numbers are having a big impact on schools as well as hospital beds and staffing.
There have been almost 8,000 new cases of coronavirus in Cornwall in the last seven days.
The Duchy recorded 7,917 in the week to Saturday 7th April, which is an average of over 1,100 per day.
As of Friday 1st April, hospitals in Cornwall were treating 186 positive patients and visiting is still suspended at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals' Trust.
Cornwall Council's Public Health Team is urging people to take precautions such as wearing face masks and keeping space between themselves and others, particularly ahead of the Easter Holidays.
Spokesperson Doctor Ruth Goldstein says people can still come on holiday safely here, but is urging people to take precautions.
She said: "Easter is obviously a time, particularly in Cornwall, where we start getting our sort of on-mass tourists and our population swells. The impact of this potentially on the situation that we've got at the moment means that where we're relying on people going out and about and keeping some space and being outside as much as possible, is going to be harder.
"As we head towards Easter, it won't be so easy to walk down our highstreets as freely without bumping into people, and that is a slight concern as we know Covid loves groups of people and its ability to transmit is really high."
Anyone who feels unwell or who has any symptoms of coronavirus is being advised to stay at home, to help stop the spread.
"We want people to take note of how they're feeling.
"We can't forget that Covid is still very much with us. If we want to live a nice, free life then we absolutely need people to get their vaccinations, support the concept of hands, face, space and ventilation and really understand what those Covid symptoms are. We've had an extended list that has come out today which includes other symptoms like sore throat, tiredness, diarrhoea and vomiting."