Published Tuesday 24 November 2020 at 17:26
The leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council has urged residents to continue to do their bit to get the virus under control as details of which tier Blackburn with Darwen will be in are due to be announced on Thursday.
Councillor Mohammed Khan said progress was being made, and the infection rate was falling, but the number of cases was still too high.
Councillor Khan said he was almost certain the borough would be placed in tier three when national lockdown restrictions ended on December 2.
He said:
I expect we will be placed in the highest tier by the government because while our infection rate is falling, our cases are still much higher than the national average and hospital admissions are also still quite high.
I know this will be extremely frustrating for residents and businesses especially our hospitality sector who I know will feel unfairly singled out.
Our borough has been in some form of restrictions for months. I know people are sick and tired of it. Our businesses have suffered terribly.
If we are put in tier three on Thursday, the government must follow through on its promises of financial support for our businesses which have to remain closed.
Businesses, especially our pubs, restaurants and those who supply them will not survive without more support.
There is good news on the horizon. There is a potential vaccine which if approved by regulators will help get us back to normal. And because of our sacrifices, the overall infection rate is on a downward trend.
But we are not out of the woods yet. The more we follow the rules, the more we get this virus under control, the more likely we can get back to the things we love sooner.
So my plea is let’s continue to do the basics. Wear a face covering, keep 2m metres apart, regularly wash our hands, self-isolate when required and get tested if you have symptoms.
As a council we will continue to fight hard for our borough and hold the government to account to make sure they deliver the support, extra powers and funding that they promised and we desperately need.
Which areas are in which tiers is due to be announced on Thursday. Subject to a parliamentary vote, the new system will come into force after national measures come to an end.
You can find out more about the government’s winter covid plan here: COVID-19 Winter Plan – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).