​It’s not over – we must follow the Covid-19 advice

Health leaders in Bury have urged residents to follow the official Covid-19 safety guidelines, warning that we are nowhere near ‘out of the woods’ yet.

They are extremely concerned about reports suggesting that the infection rate – the R rate - is coming down fast and the battle is being won.

And while the lockdown is being gradually lifted, it is vital that everyone maintains social distancing, washes their hands and obeys the rules about who and how many people they can meet, and co-operates with the Test and Trace service as lockdown is eased to avoid transmission rising again.

Lesley Jones, Bury’s director of public health, said: “Calculating the R rate is very complex, involving data from many sources. National experts at Public Health England and several academic units produce regional estimates for R. For smaller areas the numbers of cases is lower and this means that estimates are likely to be unreliable and possibly misleading.

“Cases of coronavirus infection in Bury, and deaths in all settings, are largely flatlining and, at best, showing a marginal drop. This is consistent with regional estimates that suggest the R rate in the North West is close to 1.

“We are at a critical stage in managing the pandemic. While everyone is keen to unlock, we are also mindful of how likely we are close to an ‘R’ rate of 1, and the danger of a fresh surge in the virus. Reports of large gatherings in public spaces and a sentiment of ‘lockdown is over’ are concerning.”

Councillor Andrea Simpson, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This virus has caused a great deal of tragedy and misery the world over. This is a real and present danger – we must not forget that 136 Bury residents have died of the virus so far, many of them leaving behind grieving relatives and loved ones.

“We are not ‘out of the woods’ yet, and we all need to follow the guidelines to protect ourselves and the people around us.

“If we don’t, we risk a second outbreak, which will lead to more deaths and the Government imposing a second lockdown, something none of us wants.”

These messages are reinforced by Dr Jeffrey Schryer, chair of NHS Bury CCG, who said: “As a practising GP in Bury, I know all too well the damage that coronavirus brings to people’s lives: in our hospitals, our care homes and in the community.

“A critical part of keeping the ‘R’ rate below 1 depends on people’s behaviour – remaining at home within household groups as much as possible, maintaining social distancing when out, wearing face coverings in closed spaces and maintaining regular hand washing.

“Only by everyone following the rules will we overcome this crisis.”

For the latest information on coronavirus and Bury’s response visit www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus and sign up for email updates at www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-updates

ENDS

Press release issued: 4 June 2020.