LOCKDOWN 2021
PM revives ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ message Schools open only for vulnerable children and those of key workers Summer exams cancelled ‘Material risk’ of NHS being overwhelmed by rising Covid cases Right decision but should have come ear
THE leader of Portsmouth City Council, Gerald VernonJackson, has slammed the government for ‘reacting too late once again’ but has said the national lockdown was ultimately the correct decision.
With Portsmouth’s most recent Covid case rate (December 31) of 604.9 per 100,000 people having rocketed by almost a third in just a week, Cllr Vernon-Jackson believes more decisive action should have been taken far earlier.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has imposed the toughest national lockdown in England since March, shutting schools to most pupils to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by surging coronavirus infections.
In a televised address to the nation last night the Prime Minister pinned hopes on the rollout of vaccines to ease the restrictions, but warned that the measures being introduced immediately were expected to last until midFebruary.
He announced that end-of year school exams would not take place as normal this summer
He told the country to stay indoors other than for limited exceptions and bowed to significant pressure to order primary schools, secondaries and colleges to move to remote teaching for the majority of students from today.
Reacting to the speech, Mr Ve r n o n - J a k s o n said: ‘It’s the right decision but once again it’s too late. This is a difficult decision but it should have been made some time ago and we would be in a far better place than we are today.
‘Our rates in Portsmouth are significantly higher than what they were and people need to just stick with it and continue to follow the rules. We can’t go through all we have in the last year to then ignore regulations now.’
The council leader described the u-turn on school closures as a ‘ludicrous situation’.
Cllr Vernon-Jackson commented: ‘The prime minister is telling parents to send children to school on Monday morning and then by Monday evening he is saying don’t go to school on Tuesday. We are just lurching from one chaos to another.’
Priory School headteacher Stewart Vaughan described the announcement of school closures as a ‘ demoralising day’ but highlighted that ‘schools don’t live in isolation and it’s obviously necessary’.
Ports - mouth South MP Stephen Morgan urged residents to follow the rules and believes the lockdown is necessary due to increasing pressure being placed on the city’s hospitals.
He commented: ‘We are at critical moment in our city’s fight against coronavirus. The virus is out of control, more and more people are getting infected by the disease and this is putting immense pressure on our local NHS.
‘For now, as a city, we can and we must recapture the spirit of the national lockdown in March. So the message is simple. Stay at home, protect the NHS, and vaccinate Britain’.
It was a sentiment shared by Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt who forecast brighter days ahead.
Ms Mordaunt commented: ‘I know how low people will be feeling and the stresses that they and health and care are under. This is an extremely serious and demanding situation. It’s the darkest moment we have faced but it’s always darkest before the dawn.
‘We have to come together one more time to beat this. We are nearly there and now more than ever we must keep going.’
Gosport has also seen its Covid case rates rise from 222.8 to 397.2 per 100,000 in just a week.
Constituency MP Caroline Dinenage commented: ‘I know that people will be disheartened but the prime minister couldn’t have been clearer about the grimness of the situation. Massive thanks to everyone for their continued efforts and pulling together for our vulnerable residents and brilliant NHS staff.’
Fareham and Havant have also seen massive increases in infection levels with current rates of 501.6 and 645.7 per 100,000 people respectively. The Isle of Wight has seen the biggest rise with rates rocketing from 229.9 to 677.1 per 100,000 people in just a week.