Peterborough residents urged to do more to stop COVID to help city move out of tier 3

Under the new restrictions, hospitality venues such as pubs, cafes and restaurants must close, offering only take away and delivery services. Although all shops remain open.

People must continue to socialise indoors with only those they live with or share a support bubble with, and they can still meet outdoors in public places in a group of six socially distanced.

Under the new restrictions, hospitality venues such as pubs, cafes and restaurants must close, offering only take away and delivery services.

The Director of Public Health Dr Liz Robin is asking local residents to think carefully about their plans for Christmas, and whether these plans will increase the risk of spreading Covid, including to older or vulnerable relatives and friends. While people can meet up with three households between 23 – 27 December – this doesn’t mean that they should.

The City Council has committed to doubling its efforts to break the chain of transmission, and will soon start rapid lateral flow testing in areas of the city where there are clusters of infection.

Residents across the City are also being asked to think about what more they can do to reduce rates of the virus as quickly as possible and in particular, who they may be planning to spend Christmas with this year.

Councillor John Holdich, Leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “It saddens me greatly that our city has been placed in tier 3 but with rates as high as they are – and growing quickly – it is not unexpected. I also regret the impact that I know the decision will have on our hospitality sector in particular.

“It is clear we are going to have to celebrate Christmas differently in Peterborough this year.

“We have worked so hard to keep rates of the virus reduced. I know how much we have done as a council and also the lengths that many of our communities have gone to in order to keep people safe and to protect our health services.

“However, it is clear that we need to do more. The city council will do more, and we need everyone across Peterborough to do more as well. “

Rapid result testing is shortly to begin in parts of the city where rates of the virus are the highest, so that we can break the chain of transmission much sooner and ‘backwards contact trace’ to see where infection has started..

In addition the City will increase the support available for people who need to self-isolate – both financial and practical, will be increasing the number of marshals on the streets, work with large employers in the City to make sure they are getting all the support they need to remove barriers for testing and self-isolating, and be helping businesses who may be confused by rule changes.

Outdoor events in Peterborough which have good Covid security measures in place, will continue to take place to make sure there are still enjoyable and safe activities available which help maintain hope in the City, but these will have increased marshal activity.

Temporary lighting is being considered for parks and open spaces to make them safe and welcoming in the evenings for people who want to take necessary outdoor exercise.

“I know that we all want to spend time with our loved ones at this time of year, but remember, Covid has no respect for Christmas - it will infect you and your loved ones on Christmas Day as it would any day of the year.

“There is hope on the horizon, but at the moment it is up to you to protect yourself, your loved ones and our health services.

“I urge you to avoid mixing with others outside of your household or support bubble and to be alert to the signs of Covid. If you have symptoms, don’t be frightened to get a test. We can offer you lots of support if you need to self-isolate, so please help us to break the chain of infection. There really is no reason not to.

“In doing so you will be helping to keep your loved ones safe and giving our NHS a fighting chance of being able to care for everyone who needs it, not just those suffering from the effects of Covid.”

Dr Liz Robin, Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is urging residents to avoid all non-essential contact with people outside of their household or support bubble.

“Everyone across Peterborough has worked incredibly hard to keep the virus under control and as a result we have lower rates than many other areas,” she said.

“However, our rates have remained high for a number of weeks now and in the past week they have started to rise steeply.

“This isn’t simply a reflection on everyone’s efforts so far – we have all worked incredibly hard to keep rates of the virus reduced.

“We know that the virus moves more quickly in urban areas, where people live close together in multi-generational families and in small houses.

“We also know that it moves more quickly in areas where people can’t work from home, and where their jobs bring them into lots of contact with others. In Peterborough we have lots of people working on the frontline and in jobs that they cannot do from home.

“Moving into Tier 3 will have an effect on people’s lives, but on its own it won’t drive down rates.

“We now need people to do even more to break the chain of infection and stop Covid in its tracks.

We will also impress on our communities the need to consider carefully their Christmas bubble arrangements between the 23rd and 27th December. While they can form an exclusive three household bubble at that time we will be asking them to consider if they should – given any vulnerabilities of those they plan to include.

“If you do still choose to form a bubble:

• you should stop unnecessary social contact outside your immediate household as soon as possible and for at least five days before you meet other households in your bubble

• you should keep your bubble as small as possible, meet indoors for as short a time as possible, and avoid overnight stays unless absolutely necessary.

By far the safest way to celebrate Christmas this year is contacting those you don’t live with remotely - online or by phone – and the next safest is meeting up outdoors.

“We will continue our intensive work with our communities to try and reduce rates of transmission as quickly as possible.

“We will be using ‘backward Contact tracing’ – tracing back where outbreaks occur and offering people all along the chain an opportunity to be tested and to self-isolate. We will soon start using rapid lateral flow tests where clusters of cases are identified.

“The vaccine is coming, but it won’t protect enough people quickly enough to help the intense pressure on the health service over the coming months – that is up to all of us.”

Under tier 3 restrictions, accommodation such as hotels must close, as well as entertainment and tourism sites which are indoors such as cinemas, museums and theatres.

Outdoor attractions can remain open, as long as they close indoor attractions.

People are also advised to reduce travel to a minimum, avoid travelling into and out of a tier 3 area and to avoid staying overnight somewhere that is not their home.