'We need to work together if we want to get Warwickshire out of tier three' - county council leader's message to residents

'Let's work together to drive down the virus and get us out of tier three' - that is the message from the leader of Warwickshire County Council.

This comes as the Government announced that all areas of Warwickshire will be placed in tier three, from tomorrow, Wednesday December 2 (pending the Parliament vote tonight).

Rates in the county have already started to fall but the rate in over 60s remains high, as does the pressure on our local NHS services.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: "I share the disappointment of all our residents at the announcement that Warwickshire has been placed in the highest tier of restrictions.

"Particularly as we are seeing the real impact of our collective effort during lockdown with the number of cases in the county reducing, and rates reducing in line with the England average.

“The impact of the virus has been devastating – on individuals and families, who have suffered loss and trauma, on businesses and on the economy, but now is the time to dig that little bit deeper and unite in our fight against the virus.

"I completely understand the depth of feeling around Warwickshire’s tier three status, but we must unite as a county and do everything we can to help us move to a lower tier as soon as we can.

“As part of our plans to accelerate our movement from tier three, we will be rolling out lateral flow testing in targeted areas. This will launch in North Warwickshire later this month and we will be sharing more details about this shortly.

“We are starting to see a significant drop in the transmission of the virus through household contacts and it is vital that we keep this momentum up, to ensure we are protecting ourselves, our family, our friends, our colleagues and reducing the pressure on our local NHS services.

“The Government has acknowledged that while our case rate is falling, the rate in over 60s remains high, as does the pressure on our local NHS services and these are contributing factors to the tier three decision.

“Regardless of the tier system our mission remains the same and every single one of us can play our part to drive down the infection rate. I want to call on all our residents to keep doing the right thing for each other, for our businesses, our communities, for our NHS and for Warwickshire. Please comply with the restrictions and ensure that our Covid-19 positivity rate continues to decrease, we can limit the spread of the virus and do all we can to move into tier two as soon as possible.

“Other areas of the country have shown that through their combined efforts , they have been able to move down the tier system and I am certain that in Warwickshire we can do the same thing. Our first opportunity to move down a level is 16th December; a fortnight of continued effort could make a huge difference for our communities and our businesses.

"We need now to pull together for a better new year.”

The council is reassuring residents that, as through the lockdown period, it will keep essential services running and will help people stay safe.

Information, support and guidance can be found on the County Council’s website: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk