A message from Professor Trudi Grant, Director of Public Health at Somerset County Council

AFTER the latest announcement that many of the current restrictions will stay in place a little longer and as we approach the main holiday season, I’m sure we’d all like a break from Covid-19. Unfortunately, Covid-19 isn’t taking a holiday, but we do want everyone to be able to enjoy summer, but in light of the rises that we are seeing in cases locally and nationally, we must do so safely.

In Somerset, we are still in a pretty good position with a relatively low number of cases compared to other parts of the country and I would like to thank each and every one of you for everything you have done so far.

The collective commitment to adhering to the guidance has not been taken for granted and has got us to a better to position than we were some months back. You have played your part by wearing your masks where you need to, making space for each other, testing regularly, and having the vaccine when it is offered to you.

Somerset County Gazette:

We must however do everything we can to keep things moving in the right direction; you may have heard it said that none of us is safe until we are all safe – whether we think of this in terms of our immediate household or our community, county, country or worldwide, it really is true, because while Covid-19 is circulating anywhere, it can spread – and we have seen this first hand recently.

At Somerset County Council, major investment will be going into keeping our county as safe as possible and to improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing as well as tackling the inequalities in vaccine uptake, both for Covid and flu – vital to reduce pressure on the NHS next winter. And remember, even if you’ve received both doses of the vaccination and consider yourself ‘safe’, you could still carry and pass the virus on to someone who has not yet had the vaccine or just more vulnerable.

And if you’ve not yet had both doses of the vaccination, please do take up the invitation when it’s your turn. It’s really important that you do so, as collectively this gives our community more protection, as well as protecting you personally from serious illness.

All of us, vaccinated or not, can play a vital role in helping to control case numbers and keep rates as low as possible by continuing to stick to the simple but very effective ‘hands, face, space and fresh air’ guidance.

We will continue to encourage visitors and residents to help keep Somerset safe as we get set for summer, asking that people continue to act sensibly and encourage your friends and family to do so too.