I am acutely aware of how seriously nearly everyone is observing the social distancing regime. Thank you. Keeping the country safe, protecting our NHS and minimising early deaths is the Government’s overriding priority. We can beat the spread of coronavirus.
This will only be possible if we all observe Government public health advice and the social distancing regime. Stay at home, only go outside for food, health reasons and work (if you cannot work from home). If you go out stay 2 metres away from other people at all times and wash your hands as soon as you get home. Do not meet others, even friends and family. We can all spread coronavirus even if we do not have any symptoms. Stephen Powis, the NHS England Medical Director, has said that there is some evidence that the number of new cases of coronavirus are reducing. This is all the more reason to stick to the measures Government has introduced to manage the spread of the disease.
My constituency office is now closed. I can still be contacted in exactly the same way and my staff and I will continue to take up the issues raised as quickly as possible. You can email me at [email protected] and call on 01736 363038. My website and Facebook page are regularly updated with accurate information.
Government measures to help mitigate some of the impact of the lockdown are welcome, varied and complex and the best place to keep up to date with what help may be available to you is the site businesssupport.gov.uk. I understand that Cornwall Council has now received the money to support businesses with grants. This money runs into hundreds of £millions for Cornwall and Scilly and businesses that are eligible will hear from the council if they have not already. There are examples of people and businesses that fall through the net of measures announced so far and I am raising each of these with the appropriate Government Minister so that a way can be found to help.
In addition to this each week my Cornish MP colleagues and I take part in conference calls with the police, Cornwall Council senior leaders, NHS managers, business representatives and representatives of other statutory bodies. This is the opportunity to identify concerns, update each other on the effort to manage the spread of coronavirus and discuss how best to respond to the negative impacts of these measures. It has been encouraging to see how everybody is rising to the challenge and putting in some Herculean effort on behalf of the people of Cornwall and Scilly. Personal Protective Equipment is a subject that has been raised. The Government’s medical experts clearly state that this equipment is being distributed where the risk to NHS staff, care professionals and other frontline workers is identified. Guidance in relation to coronavirus and infection control for health and care workers can be found at www.england.nhs.uk
Sadly not everyone is doing their bit to help. In fact criminal fraudsters are already seeking to exploit fears around coronavirus and are seeking to con vulnerable people. The guidance remains the same: Never give out your banking or other personal details to anyone. Do not give access to your computer and trust your instincts - if it feels wrong - it probably is!
