Windsor to join Slough in Tier 3 following review
Slough: Councillor comments as cases continue to rise
Windsor will join Slough in facing Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions following the latest review from the Government.
Slough will continue to face Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions following a review by the Government.
The borough has been joined by the rest of Berkshire in the ‘Very High aler t’ category, including the neighbouring Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Positive cases in Slough had been falling at the start of December but the infection rate has now climbed back up to 351.1 per 100,000 people.
Councillor Natasa Pantelic (Lab, Cippenham Meadows), cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It’s the right place for us to be right now and unless we drive down the numbers fast we will stay here.
“Everyone has worked really hard and pulled together but unfortunately we have seen that rise.”
She said a total of 68 people were being treated for COVID-19 at Wexham Park Hospital when the Express went to press.
The council said the majority of new virus cases are among the white ethnicity for those aged 30 to 44.
Plans are being drawn up for more targeted mass testing in the New Year with a door-to-door COVID-19 testing programme under consideration.
Cllr Pantelic said she believed it was a mistake for
the Government to continue with its proposed relaxation of festive coronavirus restrictions and urged people to keep gatherings as small as possible.
She said: “I think that it’s a mistake doing this now based on the numbers that we’re still seeing which is huge at this point.
“We are recommending people keep to really small numbers when they do meet family members and continue to follow the guidance.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a press conference on Wednesday three households will still be able to meet over a five-day period at Christmas.
But he said these limits were ‘maximums, not targets to aim for’.
Cllr Pantelic also praised the efforts of everyone involved in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Slough which saw a community vaccination hub opened in the town this week.
“I’m really proud of all the people administering the vaccine,” she said.
“It’s a really positive step forward. It will however take a number of months to get through the first group of people that need to be vaccinated.”