Following the news that London has been declared as a Major Incident due to rising numbers of COVID-19 infections, we are repeating our call for everyone to observe the national lockdown.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has today set London on the same level of alert as during the tragedies of the Grenfell Tower fire and terror attacks at Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.
With local cases of COVID-19 increasing, especially in Hartlepool, a senior Trust manager has emotionally appealed to the Tees Valley to stay home and save lives.
Gary Wright, Deputy Chief People Officer for the Trust explains his own reasons for supporting the plea: “It would be easy to point to the obvious from my perspective and talk about the pressures our organisation is facing from winter and COVID-19.
“As a resident in the town, a former Manor pupil and passionate Hartlepudlian – it’s a personal plea from me to drive down the infection rates. My own wife is a nurse, and we are both so very aware of the impact COVID-19 is having on our own family. I would implore people across the town to stick to the guidelines. Let’s get through this, and start to build a future that is befitting to the town – one of hope and aspiration.
“By supporting this lockdown now, we can get to the end point sooner. But first, stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
Hartlepool cases
Macmillan lung cancer clinical nurse specialist Amanda McNeany who lives in Hartlepool and works at the University Hospital of Hartlepool said: “Hartlepool is seeing too many cases of COVID-19. These aren’t just numbers – these are our friends, colleagues and loved ones. They are real people, each and every one of them.
“The more we all follow the rules, the quicker this will end. Please follow the rules and stay home!”
“Today I have declared a major incident in London because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point. One in 30 Londoners now has COVID-19. If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die.”
Mayor Khan’s post on Twitter