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Plymouth residents urged to stick with measures to stay safe as lockdown easing is delayed

Plymouth residents are being urged not let their guards down after the Government delayed the easing of lockdown restrictions until 19 July.

Councillor Nick Kelly, Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “I know the delay in easing all the COVID-19 restrictions will be a huge disappointment to all those who have been looking forward to life returning to normal and particularly to people whose livelihoods continue to be affected. The Government will not have made this difficult decision lightly and it reflects the latest scientific advice as cases of the Delta variant rise in England.

“Everyone in Plymouth has worked incredibly hard over the months to help keep the virus under control and it would be a huge shame to see all these efforts go to waste by relaxing the restrictions a few weeks too early.

“I would urge everyone to stick with all the measures for a few more weeks and do everything they can to keep themselves, loved ones and their community safe.”

Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth, said: “Cases are currently rising in Plymouth and the more virulent Delta variant is now dominant in the UK.

“The Delta variant spreads extremely easily and the vaccine is slightly less effective against it. Whilst we can be very pleased with progress in vaccinating people in Plymouth, it isn’t yet enough to control this new variant fully.

“With this pause in progress along the roadmap, we need to renew our efforts to manage the virus.

“If you have symptoms, you and your household must isolate and you must have a PCR test. If you are a close contact of someone who tests positive, you also need to isolate.

“Remember that you can have Covid and spread it to others while having few symptoms yourself. This makes it really important that everyone takes advantage of the free lateral flow tests that are available and takes a test twice a week to make sure they are not carrying and spreading the virus. It is also vital that we all continue to be careful about wearing face coverings, washing hands and meeting out of doors, or at least keeping fresh air flowing when meeting others indoors.

“We will be able to keep this virus under control but we must all continue to work together and keep up the measures over the coming weeks so we don’t undo all the great work so far.”