On Monday 4 January 2021, the Government announced that the country was moving into national lockdown with immediate effect. You must stay at home. The single most important action we can all take is to stay at home to save lives and protect the NHS and social care services.
In response to the announcement, Cllr Tim Swift, Calderdale Council’s Leader, said:
“We know that the national lockdown will come as further disappointing news to many people after a turbulent and challenging 2020. A return to increased restrictions is not how we all envisaged we’d be starting 2021, but it’s so important that we continue to follow the guidelines so we can reduce the COVID-19 infection rate and look towards a brighter future.
“COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Calderdale and there is growing pressure on the hospital. We are at critical risk if we don’t step up the action we’ve been taking in recent months.
“So let’s see the national lockdown as a real opportunity for us all to reduce the impact of the new, more contagious COVID-19 variant. Let’s focus on the things we can control by taking the simple actions of staying at home, limiting contact with others, wearing face coverings, self-isolating when necessary and washing our hands. We know that some people can’t stay at home, for example because of their job, so the hygiene advice and the ‘three big things’ of minimising contact, wearing face coverings and self-isolating are vital to keep everyone as safe as possible.
“The power to control the virus is within every single one of us. We have the strength and kindness to get through the difficult moments together. If we all take as much care as possible now, we can start to see more of our loved ones, enjoy doing more of the things we love and support our local economy. It will take a little while longer yet, but the hard times will pass and we will get on top of this.
“We must give ourselves credit for the commitment we’ve made so far to tackling this virus and protecting each other; for the personal sacrifices we continue to make.
“There are reasons to be positive about the year ahead and we have so much to be grateful for.
“We continue to work with our partners in the NHS to support the rollout of the vaccines, and many people will already have received their first dose. As more of our most vulnerable residents get vaccinated, the more hope we have of returning to some kind of normality this year. We also have a strong local test and trace system in Calderdale, which is performing better than the national and regional average.
“We are working through the impact of the national lockdown on our Council services and will keep people updated.”
For guidance on what the national lockdown means, visit www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home(external link)
What are we doing to prevent and control COVID-19 in Calderdale?
We will continue to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future. In line with Calderdale’s Outbreak Prevention and Control Plan, the Council, local partner organisations and communities are working together to protect people from the virus and to prevent and manage outbreaks. This includes:
- Engaging with and supporting communities, particularly in areas of high infection rates, and helping local businesses to be COVID-secure
- Increasing and improving access to testing for residents
- Carrying out local contact tracing to support the national Test and Trace service
- Providing support to people to enable them to self-isolate
- Enforcing COVID-19 restrictions.
For up-to-date and reliable information about COVID-19, use trusted sources such as:
www.gov.uk/coronavirus(external link)