One year on, let’s stay Covid-19 free
As children go back to school and we move into the first stage of the easing of lockdown we are seeing Covid infections decrease in most areas of Worcestershire.
Unfortunately, Redditch has the second highest rate on Covid-19 infections across England.
Sadly we have seen one of members of our business community die of Covid-19 recently. A driver from Diamond Buses passed away this month after an outbreak at the Redditch depot. Diamond’s managing director Bob Baker paid tribute to the driver in the Redditch Advertiser.
This is a tragic reminder that we still need to work hard to keep each other safe. After a whole year of restrictions, it’s easy to become a little complacent.
Please review your safety polices and remind people to stick to them. To help, there are posters, leaflets and social media graphics on the Here2Help Business Workplace resources page of the County Council’s website. You can also use Public Health England’s resources which are available to everyone or go to our Resources for Businesses Google Drive to download these.
Fortunately, we know a lot more about Covid-19 one year on. We have safety measures in workplaces, we have a vaccine which is being rolled out across swiftly the country and we have Rapid lateral flow tests.
Everyone who has to leave home for work is strongly recommended to take a Rapid lateral flow test twice a week. This is because 1 in 3 people have Covid but do not show symptoms. These people need to self-isolate. Their health may be unaffected, but they may pass it on someone at work who may become very ill.
Rapid lateral flow tests have been used in the NHS and by teachers to stay safe for a while. You can be confident that Rapid tests work as the latest research shows that only 1 test in a 1,000 is likely to be wrong.
Please encourage your employees to take a Rapid lateral flow test twice a week. You can order Rapid tests for your employees to be tested in the workplace on the gov.uk website before 31 March 2021. You can find out where you can get tested in the County on the Rapid Testing page of Worcestershire County Council’s website.
Vaccination is the route to a more normal life for us all. Please encourage your employees to go for the vaccine when they are invited. This week everyone over 50 is now being called to get their first vaccine.
The Public Health team and Worcestershire Regulatory Services are there to help you. So please do get in touch with any questions or queries.
The Council are happy to produce any of their messages into a format that would be helpful to you. If there’s an issue that is specific to your business, they are very happy to help. Please email Kirsty Crawley or call her on 01905 846 646.
Please get in touch with Kirsty Crawley if you need any support so that together we can help everyone stay safe.
And finally, Tuesday 23 March marks one year since we went into lockdown. Nationally there will be a National Day of Reflection. This is a time to come together to reflect on our collective loss, support those who’ve been bereaved, and hope for a brighter future. You can find out more on the National Day of Reflection website.
Thank you for everything you are doing to stay safe.