Islanders are being urged to use the latest national lockdown to ‘review and reset their behaviours’ by the Isle of Wight Council amid soaring cases of coronavirus which threaten to overwhelm local health and care services.
Isle of Wight Council leader, Dave Stewart, has called on residents to redouble their efforts and follow the national lockdown rules to stop the spread of the new, more transmissible variant of the virus.
The latest lockdown comes as the Island recorded nearly 1,200 new cases in 1 week bringing the rate of infection close to 850 per 100,000 population – far greater than the national average of 520 cases per 100,000 population. The Island figure had stood at just 21 per 100,000 at the start of last month.
Cllr Stewart has said:
“We must strive to do everything in our power to prevent local services reaching capacity as they have elsewhere. The outcome is in our hands and we must grasp this opportunity to defeat the virus and rebuild our lives.
“Once again, the Island can show its true community spirit by rising to the challenge we face and doing what is required of us. If everyone does what is being asked, we will come through safely.”
“If our whole community was following the government’s guidelines, especially in relation to social distancing, then the number of cases would not be increasing at such a rate.
“We must continue to protect ourselves from a virus which is now more contagious and between 50 and 70 per cent more transmissible.
Article continues below this advertisement “We know this virus is spread by contact so if we do not move around and mix then the virus will not move around either.”
As with the first lockdown last March, people cannot leave their homes except for certain reasons such as essential medical needs, food shopping, exercise and work for those who cannot do so from home.
All schools and colleges have closed to most pupils, with remote learning until February half-term. Early years settings such as nurseries can remain open.
Restaurants can continue to offer delivery for food, but takeaway alcohol is banned.
Councillor Stewart adds:
“Our communities have already endured so much hardship and it is difficult to once again accept the situation we are in.
“I really feel for the businesses which will be affected by this latest lockdown and I would encourage them to take advantage of the existing and new grants to be soon available. We will ensure that grant applications are dealt with as quickly as possible.
“With the announcement that schools must close, rest assured we will continue to support them so that our children and young people can access high quality education albeit from home. Our priority is educating our young people, but this must be done with the safety of school staff, pupils and their parents at the forefront of our minds.
“We cannot allow this virus to completely overwhelm our hospital, especially when there is so much hope on the horizon with the scaling up of the vaccination programme.
“Perhaps more than ever before, the behaviour of every single one of us will make the difference. By making these big sacrifices, we can give the NHS critical time and space to do what it does best, and to also deliver the vaccination programme.
“National restrictions, while strict, have been shown to bring infection rates down much faster than other courses of action. It gives us all the opportunity to review and reset our behaviours and do the right things for our family and friends.
“I ask everyone to follow the new rules, stay at home, and continue to follow the ‘hands, face, space’ instruction. It’s the only way to keep the Island safe.”
For more information on COVID-19, visit https://keeptheislandsafe.org/.
I’ve had enough of life!!!!!!
Hang in there mate, weve all had enough, your not alone!! Keep calm and carry on!!
I spent all xmas and NYE on my own. I saw only one friend the whole holidays who also lives alone so we could be bubble buddies. Even then, we only met up for walks, not to socialise indoors. It was a tedious depressing xmas and NYE compared to usual ones. I went through the whole time alone so I could hold my head high knowing I was following the tier rules. It’s infuriating to know I struggled on, while others did the opposite with the mind set ‘It won’t happen to me’. It makes you think “What’s the point?”. People need to realise this is something everyone is going through, and we need to work together in order to help stop the spread. People criticise the government but they can only tell us what to do and trust we will do it. The more we don’t the more we are challenging them.
Just think, when in 50 years from now and the lockdowns are still happening, and you realise all that life has been wasted avoiding a 2 week cough (for most people). At least you’ll get another chance to live life – oh wait.
Are the nursing staff in on your conspiracy Pepe? Because the NHS has been calling for some time tighter control because the hospitals can not cope. What about the morgues? Are they in on it, faking death rates?
Your claims that it’s some kind of plan to control us is ludicrous. You are the people that this article is point their finger at Pepe.
Fact- hospitals were empty last lockdown that is why they all had time to make shitty tick tock videos.. I’ve seen nurses speak out about this.. and then guess what they are silenced!
Fact – hospitals will be empty again! Wake up TOM! Go and do some real research and not what the bbc and fake news tell you! You would be very surprised I can assure you of that. That’s if your not too worried about what you will hear and see…!
Complete p***k
In 30 years time when the Cabinet Papers are released we may find out that the situation was a good deal worse than they wanted us to know. Just a thought
I’m in the same boat. Because of a life long health condition I have been shielding since this started. Covid will kill me. I think myself lucky as I still get to work and I get to talk to my neighbors, at a distance. This would have been over a lot quicker if the covidiots would stop spreading it about.
Keep going mate and hold your head up high!!
Dont give up, keep doing what your doing! You did the right thing, there will always be conspiracy theorists that funnily enough push there own opinions into everyone else but never allow anyone else to have an opinion and they will do what they want and low and behold spread the virus even further!
You done the right thing even though you sacrificed alot by being alone.
I for one applaud you!
“push there own opinions into everyone else but never allow anyone else to have an opinion“
Is exactly what you are doing!!! Hypocrite
The new ab-normal ? A vaccine so safe, you have to be threatened to take it. For a virus so deadly, you have to be tested to know you have it.
Key points here are: 1: Net hospital admissions are lower now than at two points in Autumn (and much lower than Spring) 2: Total admissions normal (just those labelled COVID that have increased) 3: Winter mortality not doing anything out of the ordinary compared with previous years.
Now the new lockdown has become law maybe you will be made to respect the lockdown and follow the rules as most of us are and its only twats like you making utter unsubstantiated statements. P*ss off you utter idiot.
nope – will be out everyday
Unlocking too soon
Eat help to help out
Ordering children back to school and uni
Failure to implement a circuit breaker
2nd lockdown too late (by 42 days)
Allowing freedom over Christmas
3rd lockdown too late (by 13 days)
ARE ALL NOT TO BLAME?
No: YOU ARE!
Passing the buck by government in the name of damage limitation.
That’s it, if the problem had been sorted in a proper manner with thoughts of peoples safety right from the start instead of profit making ferry companies and share holders, the ferries should have been stopped apart from supplies and urgent goods,and key workers, there is no reason why the Island could have been separated from other affected ares. The reason we are now inundated with it now is purely because of greed and incompetence by those who could have avoided it all happening.We should hold them all to account.
It’s you t w a t Stewart who are too blame.iow was put in spotlight being tier 1 so the greed over rules islanders who btw mostly are doing the right thing,then even more higher tier selfish travlers came here.surprise surprise…cases go up.lets be honest deaths are still low throughout this here so the scaremongering needs too stop…by media gov and ie! Our borders should have only let id proven people for genuine reasons over.but…as long as bob seely has a family member (brother or bro in law)running one of our car ferry companies we’ll never be put first.
And with hovertravel and Chapman keeping quiet about a positive case on 18th Dec in there we’ll always be lied too unfor
YES PEOPLE True! It was A female cashier
2 pilots 2 crew and a manager were sent home.! Told by a member of staff!!everywhere else is made public or shut down
Worst of all is they transfer hospital patients over on it.no worries though….I’m sure they were told Right?
Lets not forget the greedy hoteliers and holiday firms that wanted to literally, MAKE A KILLING, during what they call turkey and tinsel holidays spreading the virus from areas worst affected at the time to lower areas like ours.
Most were taking temperatures of guests on arrival which was a waste of time as the item they used hadnt been calibrated and could easily give false temperatures.
Agreed red sq.testings never happened on staff at hover travel either and look amount who use it!..ever .latest greedy gits are the island companyoffering a 15 min covid test for 69.99 +vat.
Cashing in or what.cheeky t . Just dont buy one anyone make them suffer for there greed.helping us out my a.se
These test are obv free out there but not readily available..but too charge that extortionate price ….Well gullable would be an understatement.
Lots of shops would rather mske money over safety but the council are just after hand out after handout,blame us for case rises and then squander the money
No change there then
tim – you clearly haven’t a clue – people have human rights and they have the right not to have medical testing if they have no reason to.
if you are so worried then stay indoors like a good little drone.
Yes people have rights ‘freeloader’ and they do not need people breaking the rules to satisfy themselves. Think about others for a change !!
rules made up by other people – can you not think for yourself sheeple. Sod others
Dim Tim speaks again.
Ahh so now it’s demanding alterations to behavioural systems of society. Just like Hitler/Stalin. It’s slowly getting there again.
Also if people actually followed the rules, that let’s be honest are pretty clear. I.E. if your waiting for a test result you need to isolate until the results come through. Not go about your daily routine and still send your kids to school. Its these people that are a danger to us all!!
I see nothing but sheep following the rules set by their masters, but still master says it’s not enough,you will have to give more! Surrounded by a bunch of spineless jellyfish! Why do I say that? Because the liars have proven time and time again they cant be trusted, things dont add up, yet still the sheep follow and blame everone else! Pathetic!
Are all the nurses in on this conspiracy of yours? They have been calling for tighter controls as the NHS is overloaded. What about the morgues? Are they in on it, lying about the deaths? What about the families of the dead, are they actors told to pretend that their loved ones died? What about all the scientists, are they in on your conspiracy? Your story has no foundation in reality.
The only sheep here are the idiots that watch a video on youTube telling them it’s all a lie. A video from someone with no scientific training or experience, who have no knowledge of how the virus works and believe what they say hook line and sinker.
The irony here is that you are everything you think we are.
That’s where your so out of touch with what’s really going on! Don’t sheep like you have any free thought to question, like why have they (liars) put the flu and covid figures together!? Isn’t there a tiny spark somewhere in that pea brain of yours ,to ask why? Does it make sense? No of course not, in your mind it doesn’t even register! God help us.
the beeb last week had a headline figure of deaths and then in small print it said… includes any cause of death, since a positive test result.
in other words, no matter what the cause of death they added it in, but shoved a little disclaimer in – wake up sheeple
Take a walk.off your flat earth.
Exaggerated death numbers that don’t add up, FORGED death certificates, nurses in hospitals so run off their feet but have time to make tick tick videos, there has been many qualified doctors come forward and speak the truth but they get silenced, now if our government had nothing to hide why silence professionals.
Your clearly too scared to do your own research… you carry on believing what the bbc tell you. It’s actually sad you can’t think for yourself!
Check out alex belfield on youtube. He used to work for the BBC until he realise their lies and government propaganda.
You really are a sad, deluded person.
More censorship ? If you cut the tongue from a snake, it is not because you fear the snake, it is because you fear what the snake has to say…
And yet another Covidiot comment, you really are full of BS.
You are haplessly brainwashed…
The island went from tier 1 to tier 4 in about the same time it took for people who travelled here from tier 4 areas to eat a xmas dinner !!
Now the IOW Council have the front to tell islanders to do the right things to stop covid 19 spreading
I would like to ask the IOW Council, the police, the ferry companies and the islands MP, why didn’t you do the right things to stop the spread of covid on the island?
Correct.why on earth would thumbs down be put on your post???sheep agsin maybe.its 1000%True!
Why are so many people just browsing in B&Q some of us need to get parts for emergency jobs only to find the store with people wandering around with a pot plant. Stay at home for gods sake.
Why are we being told to stay at home when visitors are not being told to stay away. IT WAS THEM COMING HERE FROM HIGH TIERS THAT CAUSED THIS NEW LOCKDOWN TO HAPPEN. A proper lock down means no visitors as other Islands have done. We will never be rid of this now it has escalated so bad, and Britain will never be rid of it all the time the Tories are in power. Every time there is glimmer of hope,they seem to find a way of cocking it up,latest episode, the vaccine roll out getting here syndrome.
Hang in there if we all stay in on these cold winter days we should be free by easter, then tourists ect can all come back to put us in higher tier
That idiot Stewart keeps spewing out the same old rubbish, by March because us Islanders will have been doing what we’re supposed to do he will invite everyone over again, then we will be back to square one.
Supposed to be lockdown, stay indoors, so why is some pratt belting around Ryde on a motorbike ? No it is not food delivery…