The Mayor of Hailsham Councillor Paul Holbrook has welcomed the Government’s ‘roadmap’ for easing COVID-19 restrictions from next week and calls on local residents to help ensure social distancing continues to be observed and the latest Government guidelines followed to protect others in the local community:
“Whilst it is good news that restrictions will begin to be eased from 8th March, with the return to school for many local pupils and a slight relaxation of rules governing who and where can meet other people outdoors, it is essential that we all continue to follow the rules so that the target dates proposed by the Government can be met.
The Government’s announcement a couple of weeks ago has given us all a clearer outlook into the future in terms of returning to some semblance of normality in our daily lives, hopefully sooner rather than later. But the roadmap blueprint is dependent upon a range of factors, such as a continued reduction in COVID-19 infection rates and hospital admissions, in addition to the continued success of the vaccination programme, which has been highly effective to date in helping to reduce the number of hospitalisations and deaths.
I’m proud of Hailsham residents for their support in recent weeks, support which has enabled us to reach this point and finally get to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you to all of you for this.
But, having said that, we must all continue to follow the rules set by the Government and adhere to social distancing guidelines in place to ensure that there is no resurgence of the virus, which could result in taking steps back and possibly entering another lockdown in the future.
We must all remember that, whilst infection rates have come down since the latest lockdown and as a result of the vaccination programme, they still remain relatively high and now is not the time to become complacent.
In recent weeks, the Town Council has been able to communicate to residents the latest updates concerning the vaccinations. The NHS continues to make good progress and is working to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible. Remember, this is undoubtedly the largest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS and it will take time to get it to everyone.
Adhering to the current restrictions and remembering hands, face and space will save lives and help the NHS.
The distribution plans for the vaccination programme are constantly evolving, and the Town Council will endeavour to publish further updates as soon as they are received from NHS Sussex.
Whilst many of us continue to face many challenges since the start of the year, things are beginning to look positive. The rest of 2021 brings the hope that we will see a noticeable reduction in the number of infection cases, if as many of us as possible seek the protection needed from COVID-19 and have the vaccine when it’s available to you.
We just need to be patient and continue to protect one another for the benefit of local community health.
Your Town Council is continuing to support the community during the pandemic and is working hard to ensure that government guidelines relating to social distancing and protection from COVID-19 are met. In doing so, some facilities and services remain closed, or are accessible but with restrictions in place.
For the protection of residents and our staff, the Town Council offices in Market Street remain closed, although officers are working remotely where possible to keep many services running. The main phone line is open during office hours (9am-4pm, Monday to Friday – except public holidays).
Members of the public are encouraged to follow the Town Council social media pages and the following web page for updates on Council services and facilities: https://www.hailsham-tc.gov.uk/coronavirus-postponement-of-council-activities/.
Thank you everyone and stay safe.”
Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk