As much predicted, and probably dreaded, Hastings and Rother district, along with much more of the south east, move into the tier 3 group of very high alert from 00:01 on Saturday, December 19 after Covid cases increased rapidly locally and across the region.
This will have a major impact on the hospitality industry as pubs, bars and restaurants are shut down, though the Christmas break provides a very, very brief period when some restrictions ease off. For fuller details see the table below.
And our MP says:
Today our area has moved into tier three, which I know will be incredibly disappointing for local people and a hammer blow to the local hospitality sector. None of us wanted to be in this position, however, the data on the virus is stark. Whilst I am bitterly disappointed with the decision, especially considering how hard we have pulled together to resist the spread of this virus, it is clear to me and the local health professionals that we currently haven’t got control of the virus and infection rates continue to increase rapidly. This is now having a knock-on effect on the pressures of our local health services.
I want to urge people now to really stick to the rules and the guidance. We need to get this virus back under control so we can protect our NHS, avoid the vulnerable getting serious disease or worse succumbing to this dreadful virus.
We are asking a lot of people
I know this is incredibly tough and we are asking a lot of people. We have all sacrificed so much already, but we simply cannot carry on as we with infection rates now well over 500 per 100,000 in Hastings.
Just because restrictions have been lifted over Christmas, it does not mean we must take advantage of them. This Christmas we all need to think carefully about the visits and people we meet. Keep your visits short, your gatherings small and your journeys local. This isn’t going to be a normal Christmas, but in the months to come we can return to some semblance of normal, and return to Christmas as usual next year.
A glimmer of hope
We have the glimmer of hope in 2021 that is the vaccine. It is being rolled out as we speak and this will get us out of this dark moment in time, but until then we need to keep at it with the social distancing and Covid-19 precautions over next few months. We have come so far, let’s not chuck it all away now as we make our way down the final finishing straight.
