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news release 17 December 2020 Health leaders urge everyone to help Keep West Sussex Safe this Christmas West Sussex remains on high alert and will stay in tier two of the local coronavirus restrictions, following yesterday’s Government announcement. Infection rates in the county have risen significantly in recent weeks and health leaders are urging everyone to reduce contact with others wherever possible to help protect loved ones, each other and the NHS. Latest figures* show 104.9 per 100,000 people in West Sussex tested positive for COVID-19 in the seven days up to 11 December. This is up by 72% in the space of a week. Dr Tony Hill, Interim Director of Public Health, said: “It is vital that we all play our part in bringing our numbers down. Please do not mix with other households or bubbles indoors and stick to the rule of six when meeting others outside. “I’d also ask everyone to think carefully about whom they meet with over the festive period and to reduce close or physical contact as much as possible. The less contact you have, the safer you’ll be. Nobody wants to give the unwanted gift of coronavirus this Christmas.” Councillor Amanda Jupp, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults & Health and Chair of the West Sussex Local Outbreak Engagement Board, said: “I ask everyone to please continue to keep West Sussex safe by following the guidelines. “I sympathise with everyone who would normally be socialising in our pubs, restaurants and cafes or visiting friends and family to celebrate Christmas, but we must all make short-term sacrifices so that hopefully next year we can return to more normal routines and some relaxation of the conditions we are experiencing at present.” “The development of vaccines is excellent news, but they will take time to implement. It remains vitally important that we all wash our hands regularly, wear face coverings when required and maintain social distancing from people not in our households whenever possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” added Dr Hill. * The latest figures relating to West Sussex are available on the data dashboard on the county council website: https://wsx-c19-mobile.netlify.app/. The seven-day rate does not include the most recent days of data (this is true of the local dashboard and the national one). This is to allow time for test results to come through. The incomplete days of data can be seen as orange bars on the figure below the table here: https://wsx-c19-mobile.netlify.app/#latest_case_section
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