Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that the whole of England will be subject to tough new national measures from this Thursday (5 November). The new restrictions will stay in place until Wednesday 2 December.
The announcement comes following a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, with many regions experiencing worrying spikes in infections. Derby went into COVID alert level ‘High’ just this morning.
From Thursday 5th November until Wednesday 2 December, the Government is taking the following action:
- Stay at home, except for specific purposes
- Prevent gathering with people we do not live with, except for specific purposes
- Close certain businesses and venues
Dr Robyn Dewis, Director of Public Heath, Derby City Council, said:
While this is obviously not the news that any of us want to hear, the new England-wide measures are necessary for us to gain control of the growth in infection.
We must all work hard to adhere to the new restrictions, and remember the impact that our actions have on our loved ones, health service, businesses, and all of Derby.
We also have to remember our basics in hygiene – regularly washing our hands, covering our mouths if we cough, wearing a mask, and social distancing – these actions are vital even when we are only leaving our homes for essential reasons.
Councillor Chris Poulter, Leader of Derby City Council, added:
The people of Derby have worked extremely hard over the months since the coronavirus pandemic hit, each doing their bit for Derby, and I know that this news may be disheartening, but these measures are being brought in now so that we can avoid restrictions being in place for any longer than necessary.
We must continue to do the right thing for Derby – protecting our citizens and Derby as a whole by acting unselfishly and with care.
We recognise the importance of working with our partners across the city to support the most vulnerable and I would encourage anyone who needs help in light of COVID-19 to contact the Community Hub on 01332 640000.
Paul Simpson, the Council’s Chief Executive talked about concerns over the city’s economy.
It’s no secret that Derby has been hard-hit by the pandemic. As a leading aerospace and manufacturing city, we’ve seen some devastating losses in Derby, but we’ve really pulled together as a city to mitigate this.
We’ve never seen better partnership working than we are now through Derby’s Economic Recovery Task Force. Going into the tough national measures, we’re in a good position and can build upon the excellent work that’s already being done to rebuild and diversify our city’s economy.
What we need from Government now is sufficient financial support to give our local businesses a fighting chance.
Read the Government’s announcement and full detail of the new restrictions online.