Gillian Keegan
I’m sure with the positive scientific breakthroughs this week many of us are feeling more hopeful that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Finally, we have several vaccine programmes showing promising results and several testing programmes on an ever-growing scale. I thought the Prime Minister put it well when he said ‘the scientific cavalry is now in sight’. The UK has already secured 355 million vaccine doses, and the NHS is gearing up to lead a national vaccination programme, beginning next month. This is a huge achievement and a testament to the forethought and proactive planning of our senior health officials – who are still hard at work, preparing hospitals, GPS, and local authorities to get the vaccine out there as quickly and effectively as possible, starting with the most vulnerable, like those in care homes.
Another powerful weapon in our growing arsenal is mass testing. We already have the capacity for over 500,000 tests a day, and soon with the creation of two new mega-labs, we will have a further 600,000 daily tests. 13 million people will be mass tested before Christmas, allowing us to identify and isolate people who don’t have symptoms but are unwittingly spreading the virus. We know this approach is a gamechanger with the pilot scheme in my home city of Liverpool already seeing exciting results. Mass testing and rapid return tests could also be a great way for us to work towards a more normal life in the interim and may help us further open up spectator sports, theatres and other venue based entertainment.
The revamped tier system will allow more of the economy to remain open, such as retail - vital in the run-up to Christmas. Next weekend (December 5) is Small Business Saturday where we celebrate our local businesses which are the lifeblood of the local economy. Covid-19 has hit many of them hard despite the huge support that has been put in place. So as you all prepare for the holiday season, I encourage everyone to try to support our local shops and businesses, with many now offering online shopping and deliveries and those that aren’t have worked hard to be covid-secure. This year more than ever we all need to shop local and support our small businesses. Just as important to lots of people is being able to go to places of worship, which will be open in all three tiers; with varying amounts of interaction allowed – and thankfully, to keep off those Christmas indulgences, so are gyms. For more detail on what you can and cannot do within each tier visit my website – www.gilliankeegan.com/ news/covid-19-news-tiered-system.
With Christmas just around the corner, it was also announced this week that we will be able to form special Christmas bubbles (up to three households), so we can be with our loved ones for the holidays, albeit with some extra care...