West Sussex health bosses: 'Don't give Covid-19 for Christmas'
The county will stay in Tier 2 despite a rise in infection rates
Health leaders in West Sussex are urging people to reduce contact with others to help protect loved ones, each other and the NHS over Christmas.
The county will remain under Tier 2 'high alert' coronavirus restrictions following an announcement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Thursday (December 17th).
It's escaped the fate of neighbouring areas, including Havant, Portsmouth, much of Surrey and the Hastings and Rother areas of East Sussex, all of which will moved into the toughest Tier 3 rules from Saturday.
Latest figures show 104.9 per 100,000 people in West Sussex tested positive for COVID-19 in the seven days up to December 11th.
This is up by 72% in the space of a week.
Dr Tony Hill, Interim Director of Public Health at West Sussex County Council, said:
“It is vital that we all play our part in bringing our numbers down. Please do not mix with other households or bubbles indoors and stick to the rule of six when meeting others outside.
“I’d also ask everyone to think carefully about whom they meet with over the festive period and to reduce close or physical contact as much as possible. The less contact you have, the safer you’ll be.
"Nobody wants to give the unwanted gift of coronavirus this Christmas.”
Councillor Amanda Jupp, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults & Health and Chair of the West Sussex Local Outbreak Engagement Board, added that everyone needed to play their part in keeping the county safe by sticking to the guidelines.
“I sympathise with everyone who would normally be socialising in our pubs, restaurants and cafes or visiting friends and family to celebrate Christmas, but we must all make short-term sacrifices so that hopefully next year we can return to more normal routines and some relaxation of the conditions we are experiencing at present.”
Those who work in groups or in close contact with others have been reminded to follow ‘hands, face, space’.
Dr Hill added:
“The development of vaccines is excellent news, but they will take time to implement. It remains vitally important that we all wash our hands regularly, wear face coverings when required and maintain social distancing from people not in our households whenever possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
West Sussex County Council has said it will continue to work with communities and partners to help those in need and keep the rate of coronavirus down.
The authority's Community Hub will be operating over Christmas and providing help to those who need support or may be experiencing hardship due to COVID-19.
You can contact the Community Hub in confidence by calling 033 022 27980 or by completing the online form.
The Hub will be open seven days a week (including the Christmas Bank Holidays) between 8am-8pm.