Joint statement from the Council: Strict social distancing still in place

We have all sacrificed a lot and as civic leaders we want to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us respond to this terrible virus – by staying at home, by staying safe, by volunteering to help and by keeping an eye on vulnerable neighbours.

We have had lower than average cases in our borough so it shows what we are doing is working.

We have all played our part in limiting the spread of the virus and protecting the NHS.

We have now received a more detailed update from government, however, the basic messages have not changed. Lockdown has not been lifted. People should be staying at home as much as possible and strict social distancing is still necessary.

You should continue to shield if you have been told to and are considered clinically vulnerable

You should stay within your own households. Do not invite people over or visit others in their home.

Isolate if you or someone in your household have symptoms

If you do have to go out of your house – make sure you keep two metres apart at all times.

The government’s road map out of lockdown talks about more schools reopening to more pupils in June and some other businesses in July. However, these are all contingent on a number of factors and needs rigorous planning and much more guidance from government and these are only the possible earliest dates.

You can find the detail here.

The government has also given guidance on using non-medical facial coverings such as cloth ones when using public transport or if you have to go into enclosed public spaces. This is something we support as it will help reduce the collective risks of virus spread across the whole community.

These measures have been extremely tough for us all. Again we would like to say thank you to the people of this borough for their efforts.

As a Council, we will continue to work with partners such as the NHS, residents and businesses as we tackle this horrible disease.

Finally, we also want to give thanks to all the borough’s key workers – doctors, nurses, NHS support staff, pharmacists, social care, care workers, teachers, teaching assistants and school support staff, food distributors, shop assistants, transport workers, refuse collectors, postal workers and many more – for continuing to deliver essential services during this crisis.

Councillor Mohammed Khan, Leader

Denise Park, Chief Executive

Professor Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing