Keep up social distancing and enjoy half term at home

PR Date: Friday, 22 May 2020 - 1:00pm

‘Keep up social distancing and enjoy half term at home’, appeals Hertfordshire’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF) ahead of this Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend and next week’s school half term holiday.

Hertfordshire’s LRF – a partnership of over 60 organisations including the emergency services, local councils, health services and volunteers, which plans, trains and responds to emergencies together – has been working to coordinate the county’s approach to COVID-19.

“We are all still being asked to stay at home as much as possible and to maintain social distancing in our everyday activities and I am appealing to Hertfordshire’s residents to keep up the good work,” said Darryl Keen, Director of Community Protection, Chief Fire Officer and chair of the strategic coordination group of the LRF.

“Lockdown restrictions may have slightly altered but the basic message remains unchanged and we still need to adhere to limit contact with other people and keep our distance when we are out and about.”

He added: “For parents and carers, I especially understand how difficult it is that we are asking our children and young people to not spend time with their extended friendship groups, that they need to limit themselves to a walk or cycle ride with a friend whilst staying 2 metres apart, but this remains crucial and I would ask people to have that difficult conversation with children ahead of half term. We’ve come so far and we need to continue to stay at home and save lives.”

Tim Hutchings, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Prevention at Hertfordshire County Council, added: “While we are gradually transitioning to the next phase of the county’s response to coronavirus, it is vital that people continue to adhere to the government’s restrictions at this time.

“Knowing that some people may have COVID-19 but with no obvious symptoms I would ask people to act responsibly and keep up with social distancing, good hand washing and good hygiene as these are the best preventative measures.”

Cllr Judi Billing, North Hertfordshire District Council’s Executive Member for Community Engagement said: “Lockdown restrictions may have been lifted slightly by the government over the last week but we strongly urge North Herts residents to still stay at home as much as possible over this May bank holiday and half term and always respect the 2 metre distance rule when venturing out of their homes. You have all done an amazing job of listening to the government guidelines and acting upon them and we want that good work to continue, as it is helping to save many lives.”

If you are concerned that you have seen a gathering which contravenes the guidance, we would encourage you to contact the police using our online reporting methods. This will help to relieve some of the pressure on emergency lines and resources, and allow for a quicker response to urgent 999 calls. Our online reporting can be accessed at herts.police.uk/contact or herts.police.uk/report