‘Covid doesn’t discriminate’ - Personal stories at heart of new campaign to combat Covid complacency in Peterborough.

Andy, the Campaign Manager for Campaign to End Loneliness was speaking as part of Peterborough City Council’s new ‘Stand Firm’ campaign which has been launched to combat complacency in the fight against Covid-19.

He added: “Rather like loneliness, COVID doesn’t discriminate. It can come into anybody’s life. I so miss being around others. We each have a responsibility here. We have to stand firm.”

Social Care Team Manager in the NHS Kim Wright has joined calls for people to continue to follow the rules as both have been speaking about their experiences of COVID and the effect it has had on them.

They speak starkly of their experiences and the effect the pandemic has had on their lives. They urge others to join them and ‘stand firm’ in their resolve to follow public health guidelines until the NHS vaccine programme has time to reach enough people. Further films are in development and will be shared on a weekly basis.

Kim said: ““I caught COVID. I live alone and I’m scared. I was frightened of dying. I got on the edge of my bed and just remember feeling really frightened because I was so breathless, but I daren’t go to sleep because I didn’t know whether I would wake up again.”

As the vaccine continues to be rolled out to the most vulnerable, the Stand Firm campaign drives home the message that everyone still needs to be on their guard –to protect themselves, their families and the local community.

This means sticking to the rules – not mixing outside your household or support bubble, washing hands, observing social distancing, wearing a face covering, self-isolating where necessary and only going out for essential reasons.

And if you do test positive, isolating for a full ten days to break the chain of infection.

Lockdown seems to be having an impact on infection levels with the number of new cases starting to stabilise or to fall across our area – but there are still high numbers of people seriously ill in hospital and around 10 people a day dying in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough hospitals.

So the Stand Firm campaign warns against complacency and stresses the need to continue abiding by the rules of lockdown.

It will feature in posters at bus stops and other prominent locations, across social media and on Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council’s websites. Both authorities have been working on the campaign with local company CPL, a content marketing agency.

Approximately one in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising they are doing so. It is not known whether those who have had the vaccine can still pass the virus on.

Under current lockdown regulations, people must stay at home if they can. This is the single most important action everyone can take to protect the NHS and save lives.

Social meetings are not allowed, and outdoor exercise is allowed once a day either alone, with members of your household or with one other person. You cannot meet with other people you do not live with, or have not formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.

Dr Liz Robin, Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said: “It has never been more important to stand firm and stick to the rules. We owe this to ourselves, our loved ones - and the NHS. This campaign drives home the message that this is not the time for complacency.

“Our resolve must be stronger than ever. Only by sticking to the rules will we begin to see a return to normality. “This is still some way off, but we can all play our part by following Kim and Andy’s example and standing firm. We can do this together.”

To view Kim’s story, click here.

To find out more about the campaign go to www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/standfirm and www.peterborough.gov.uk/standfirm.