"Really important" people stick to lockdown rules, says Plymouth's health boss
Dr Ruth Harrell said it will make a difference if people comply with the regulations
Plymouth's public health director says we should be optimistic that the second national lockdown will help to suppress coronavirus.
Dr Ruth Harrell says it is really important people keep to the rules, in order to get back to "a more normal life" before Christmas.
If people comply, she thinks the lockdown will help hugely:
"Certainly we'd expect it to do a great deal and at least flatten the rate, if not actually see it drop massively.
"Whether we might need another one is just really difficult to tell.
"It's a very difficult balance at the moment between the restrictions we've got to cope with and keeping those levels of covid down but there's no reason not to be really optimistic."
Dr Harrell is concerned about the capacity of some of the South West's hospitals, including Derriford:
"They have quite a large number of patients that are positive with covid at the moment.
"I know it's in the 50s and although they've got some more capacity, obviously every patient that's taking up a bed because they've got covid, is stopping somebody else from using that bed.
"Every winter is difficult, this winter could be multiple times more difficult than usual."
She says there is no reason why the lockdown would not make a difference, if people comply with the rules:
"The more we comply in this period, the lower we can get rates down and then we can hopefully start to get back to a little bit more of normal life over Christmas.
"I know it is hard and I know everyone is going to struggle to comply. It is difficult."
Dr Harrell is calling for the national testing system to be improved. She said:
"We'd really like to see the turnaround time improved and that's something we really want the national system to work on.
"We want people to be able to have a test and know within 24 hours whether it's positive or not. I know at the moment, too many people are waiting for too long.
"It is getting better, so please don't let that put you off, it's really important that people do get tested."