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Together we are making progress and need to work as one to make sure we keep it going.
As other parts of the country face renewed local lockdowns, Epping Forest District Council is encouraging local residents to stay safe and speak up when they see Covid safety guidelines broken.
Council Leader, Councillor Chris Whitbread said:
We have seen a tremendous community effort to fight Covid after the last few months. The war has moved from our homes to our high streets. As infection rates fall, we’ve been able to reopen many of our businesses and return to something more like normality.
It’s great to see our high streets adapting and coming back to life. We all want to build on that recovery.
We are seeing face coverings, frequent hand-washing and good social distancing. However, the challenge now is to make sure that we don’t slip into old habits.
We’ve seen what can happen when the rules are not followed in other parts of England and Scotland. Coronavirus is still here. It remains highly infectious and dangerous. It is vital we don’t throw away our hard-won gains.
We must all stick to the guidelines to keep our local economy alive.
Stay alert to stay safe
Councillor Whitbread added:
Everyone has a role to play. We all have a responsibility to ourselves and those around us to STAY ALERT to STAY SAFE.
If you go to a shop, pub or restaurant where you see the safety guidelines are not being followed, speak up. Talk to the manager. Explain what you think is going wrong and ask them to put it right. If they won’t listen, walk out. Don’t put yourself, your family and friends at risk.
Unauthorised gatherings
Councillor Whitbread said:
Similarly, we’ve seen large unauthorised gatherings in the Epping Forest area, mainly of young people.
The Police, Corporation of London and other agencies are working hard to prevent these gatherings, but we should not be having to put resources into such things. If you feel safe and the precautions don’t apply to you because you are young and healthy, take a moment to think about your mum, your dad or your grandparents. You could catch and pass the disease on without ever showing any symptoms, and the consequences could be devastating for a more vulnerable loved-one.
Together we are making progress, let’s all work to make sure we keep it going.
Have your say
Residents can also report any social distancing issues they find on the EFDC Commonplace platform.
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