While I’m glad to see the national lockdown coming to an end, I know some people will be frustrated that the whole of Kent is going into Tier 3 as part of the new local restriction tiers.
These have been hugely difficult decisions. The Government has tried to keep restrictions on people’s lives to a minimum. Throughout this pandemic, decisions have been based on the best possible evidence along with local opinion.
Most of Kent has high or very high infection rates, and some of the areas with lower rates are unfortunately showing a worsening trend. We cannot ignore the pressures this is continuing to put on our local hospitals.
Compared to the national lockdown, more shops, sports facilities, and places of worship will be able to open again. But I know this will be disappointing news for our pubs and other hospitality businesses. I’ll continue to do everything I can both locally and in Parliament to support people and businesses through this difficult time.
Our focus now must be on bringing down the rates of infection in our community so we can lift more restrictions and get more parts of our lives back to some form of normality.
It’s more important than ever that we work together to get this virus under control.
