West Dorset MP urges locals to help reduce COVID-19 cases

West Dorset’s MP Chris Loder is urging locals to stay safe through 2021 and help keep COVID-19 case numbers down.

Dorset has been placed on Very High Alert in Tier 3 restrictions following a sharp rise in cases recently.

But, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have been placed in Tier 4 restrictions, showing a move away from coupling the two areas together.

In the 7 days leading to 23rd December BCP recorded 218.8 cases per 100,000 residents, compared with 120.2 in Dorset.

Chris Loder said:

“We have finally been decoupled from the Bournemouth and Poole area.

"We’re only in Tier 3 in rural Dorset, I’m very pleased.

“I’ve been challenging the government about decoupling us from Bournemouth and Poole for some time now.

“But nonetheless we have gone up in terms of tiers and it is important that we look at those, we understand what they mean for us, and we do take heed of them.

“I know, as we have done before, we will do again, we will get those cases back down and we will be reduced in terms of our tier.”

He also warned residents to be aware of coronavirus restrictions in neighbouring counties like Somerset which has now entered Tier 4 restrictions.

But, he hopes that access to vaccines will mean a return to some kind of normal sometime in 2021.

He added:

“The vaccinations are here. We’ve got two vaccination hubs in Yeovil and Dorchester and they will come out to GP surgeries and those who are most vulnerable will be receiving those vaccinations first.

“As we move from 2020 to 2021 I’m looking forward very much to the opportunities for the future that we have. There is definitely hope in so many different ways, I’m very hopeful that we’ll be able to get coronavirus back under control and we’ll start to be able to live life again, just like we used to just over a year ago.”