Cornwall praised for community spirit ahead of second lockdown
Cornwall Council is urging residents to pull together once more
Cornwall’s community spirit through the pandemic crisis is being praised, as the country gets set to head into a second national lockdown.
The nationwide restrictions will be place from Thursday 5th November through until the 2nd of December.
People will be told to stay at home, with non-essential shops, restaurants and pubs ordered to close.
Now the chairman of Cornwall Council is calling on councillors to pull residents together once more.
Cllr Hilary Frank was speaking before a meeting of the full council on Tuesday morning, where councillors were meeting to agree changes to parish and town council boundaries across Cornwall.
Cllr Frank told the meeting: “As we are all aware by now, the Prime Minister announced a second national lockdown on Saturday, which comes into force on Thursday.
“I am sure that, like myself, the news has left you feeling disconcerted as we head into the winter months. We all know the negative effects that last spring’s lockdown had, both economically and for our collective mental health.
“Somehow it feels slightly worse this time around, as we all know what lies ahead, and we also know we will not be blessed with the warm sunshine of last April and May.
“However, looking at the public health data we have available, it is clear that while cases are lower than other areas of the country and other parts of the south west, we are beginning to see a rise in the number of cases in Cornwall, with a spike in the figures in the past week.
“These cases are currently affecting younger age-groups, and we are not yet seeing the rise in infections in those aged 60 and over which is causing such great concern across the rest of the country.
“We can only hope that these tighter restrictions will prevent the spread of the virus into our older generations and will then help to reduce the growing pressure on our health services.
“This is a crucial moment and we will be asking our residents to join with us to continue to follow the public health advice and help us protect Cornwall’s residents.
“As councillors, we will play a huge part in reassuring our residents over these tough weeks ahead. We will also be called upon by local businesses who will once again be forced to close after already losing so much trade this year.
“It is our role to stand up for our residents, and, as we all did back in the spring, I am sure we will once again step forward to offer support to one and all.”
Cllr Frank also urged her fellow councillors to point their residents to the council’s website for the latest information on the lockdown rules, and to use the dedicated covid19@cornwall.gov.uk email address to submit any questions.
She added: “This has been a tough year, the toughest I can remember.
“However, despite the stress and the strain of dealing with a pandemic, it has also been inspirational to see how we have pulled together as a community to support each other through this crisis.
“I am sure that we can do so once again, and we will come through this and emerge stronger on the other side.”