National lockdown reaction: Calderdale leader says hard times will eventually pass

Further COVID-19 lockdown is disappointing but the hard times will eventually pass, says Calderdale Council’s leader.
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Councillor Tim Swift said COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Calderdale and there is growing pressure on the hospital.

“We are at critical risk if we don’t step up the action we’ve been taking in recent months,” he said.

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But everyone could make a difference and the personal sacrifices and collective effort would be worth it with vaccine rollout bringing the hope of some kind of normality as the year moves on, he said.

Calderdale Council leader Tim SwiftCalderdale Council leader Tim Swift
Calderdale Council leader Tim Swift

“The power to control the virus is within every single one of us.

“We have the strength and kindness to get through the difficult moments together.

“If we all take as much care as possible now, we can start to see more of our loved ones, enjoy doing more of the things we love and support our local economy.

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“It will take a little while longer yet, but the hard times will pass and we will get on top of this,” he said.

Coun Swift (Lab, Town) said understandably the national lockdown will come as further disappointing news to many people after a turbulent and challenging 2020.

“A return to increased restrictions is not how we all envisaged we’d be starting 2021, but it’s so important that we continue to follow the guidelines so we can reduce the COVID-19 infection rate and look towards a brighter future,” he said.

Coun Swift urged Calderdale people to see the national lockdown as a real opportunity to reduce the impact of the new, more contagious COVID-19 variant.

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“Let’s focus on the things we can control by taking the simple actions of staying at home, limiting contact with others, wearing face coverings, self-isolating when necessary and washing our hands.

“We know that some people can’t stay at home, for example because of their job, so the hygiene advice and the ‘three big things’ of minimising contact, wearing face coverings and self-isolating are vital to keep everyone as safe as possible,” he said.

Calderdale’s citizens must give themselves credit for the commitment made so far to tackling the virus and protecting each other, including the personal sacrifices we continued to make, and there were reasons to be positive about the year ahead, said Coun Swift.

“We continue to work with our partners in the NHS to support the roll-out of the vaccines, and many people will already have received their first dose.

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“As more of our most vulnerable residents get vaccinated, the more hope we have of returning to some kind of normality this year.

“We also have a strong local test and trace system in Calderdale, which is performing better than the national and regional average,” he said.