Council recognises ‘difficult balancing act’ as Step 4 delayed

Following the government’s announcement of its decision to delay the move to Step 4 of its roadmap out of lockdown, Blackburn with Darwen Council urges residents to pull together over the next few weeks to drive Coronavirus rates down.

Joint statement from Council Leader Coun Mohammed Khan CBE, Strategic Director of Adults & Health Sayyed Osman, and Director of Public Health Prof Dominic Harrison:

We recognise the government has made a very difficult decision to delay moving to Step 4 for the whole of England. We feel it is the right decision at this time to take a few more weeks to take control of the country’s virus rates for the longer term.

We have been fighting the rate rise in our borough since May and know from experience just how difficult it is to balance concerns about the Delta variant.

The rest of the country is now seeing an increase in Covid case rates similar to the rises already seen here in Blackburn with Darwen and in other parts of the North West, such as Bolton.

The government’s justification for delaying further easing of restrictions is sensible given these rising infection rates across the country.

We understand some residents and local businesses will be disappointed that the ending of Covid restrictions can’t go ahead as planned. However, this delay to Step 4 presents Blackburn with Darwen with an opportunity.

The support we have had in the shape of surge testing and extra vaccinations for over 18s over the last four weeks is having an impact.

Although we have seen increases in positive Covid cases across the borough, our rate of increase is now slowing, and we expect to see this improve until our case rates eventually plateau, and then begin to decline.

Based on our experience of transmission of the Delta variant, we would expect to see an increase in case rates in other parts of England over the next few weeks. As this happens, the government will want to focus its surge testing response there to help drive rates down.

This means that Blackburn with Darwen may only have this additional support for another few weeks.

We need to make the most of this opportunity. We urge all our residents to pull together and do everything they can to help get control of our virus rates now.

Everyone can do something:

• go to your nearest mobile testing unit to take a PCR test through surge testing or collect tests to take at home
• take regular rapid, or lateral flow, tests before going out – to the pub or to eat out, to visit relatives, to go out to work, to go to the hairdresser etc.
• meet up outside where possible
• keep wearing face coverings in public places
• self-isolate for 10 days if you test positive or are a close contact of someone who does.

It’s also vital that everyone takes up the offer of the vaccine as soon as possible – and we remind all those residents who have had their first dose to make an appointment to have their second dose within eight weeks.

If we all do our bit, within another four weeks, the picture in Blackburn with Darwen could look very different.

What we are doing – through surge testing and offering more vaccinations to over 18s – is having an impact. Let’s keep it up for little while longer, to help protect ourselves, our communities and the people we love.

Get all the details on how to get tested at www.blackburn.gov.uk/get-a-test.

The government’s Step 4 decision included lifting restrictions on the numbers of people allowed at weddings and funeral wakes, provided social distancing is observed.

Coun Khan, Sayyed Osman and Dominic Harrison added:

We know that this will come as good news for many of our residents as well as local businesses, such as wedding suppliers and venues. We would urge anyone attending a wedding or a funeral wake to continue to observe social distancing guidance, including wearing face coverings indoors.

The news today has been a difficult balancing act and it’s important that we all take the next step cautiously.

Read the detail of what restrictions remain in Step 3 on the gov.uk website.