I’m incredibly sad to see the first Coronavirus deaths have been registered here in Fylde.
My thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected. It brings home again the seriousness of the situation we all face. This virus can be deadly, is highly contagious, and does not discriminate who it infects.
It looks as though we are now heading towards the peak of the virus and it is vital that we all, with no exceptions, stay at home wherever possible to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Please only venture out for essential shopping or for exercise on your own, and remain at least 2m away from others at all times.
It is incredibly important for three reasons.
First, the fewer of us who are infected, the less pressure we put on the emergency services, and the better they can treat people – in a much safer environment.
Second, the more we stick to the social isolation rules, the quicker, I hope, we can eventually return to a normal way of life.
And third – it is not a nice virus to catch, even if you are in good health. And you are likely to pass it to loved ones in your home environment if you get it.
I am pleased to see BAE Systems engineers are part of the team manufacturing more ventilators for the NHS. It’s likely they will begin to be manufactured in a matter of days, along with ventilators from other sources. These ventilators will help save thousands of lives.
I would like to give my thanks to the many supermarkets in the area which have put in place extra cleaning, and social spacing measures in place, and I hope we all understand the reasoning, and the extra time shopping may take. My thanks to all of those front line shop staff who are keeping us going.
And my thanks again to all of the key workers, especially the NHS staff battling this terrible virus.