Colin Cox
Cumbria’s public health director has raised concerns about the new ‘Indian variant’ as restrictions are set to be eased.
With COVID-19 lockdown restrictions sets to ease from Monday Cumbrians are being encouraged to remain cautious and reminded that COVID remains a threat.
The warning comes as neighbouring areas in the north west are seeing increasing numbers of outbreaks involving the new ‘Indian variant’ of the virus and ‘surge testing’ implemented in affected communities.
Colin Cox, Cumbria’s director of public health, said: “COVID infections in Cumbria remain very low, which is fantastic. But there is cause for some concern given what we are now seeing in other parts of the region with the spread of the new ‘Indian variant’.
Staff at hotels, pubs, museums and other businesses will welcome people inside from Monday. Hospitality will be able to reopen properly after pubs and restaurants were restricted to serving punters outside only. From May 17: - People will be able to meet indoors in groups of six, or two households. - Pubs and restaurants will be able to serve customers indoors, although they will be limited to table service. - Cinemas, museums, theatres and concert halls will be allowed to reopen although there will be capacity limits on large events. - The stay in the UK restriction will lift and people will be able to travel to green list countries, such as Portugal although they are still being advised not to go to destinations on the amber list.
1/1 A health boss has said that fines could be put in place for those regularly breaching lockdown rules but still expects to see a ‘bumper year’ for tourism and the local economy. With questions over foreign holidays, all evidence points towards staycations once more this year, but the director of public health for Cumbria has warned that Covid rules still apply. “Potentially there are fines for those breaking the rules, but we want to work with people positively and make sure they understand why the rules are still in place and support them,” Colin Cox said. “As we saw last summer there may well be places that insist on breaching any of the regulations that remain on a repeated basis and yes, enforcement is an option for them.
A HEALTH boss has said that fines could be put in place for those regularly breaching lockdown rules but still expects to see a bumper year for tourism and the local economy. With question of foreign holidays, all evidence points towards staycations once more this year, but the director of public health for Cumbria has warned that Covid rules still apply. Potentially there are fines for those breaking the rules, but we want to work with people positively and make sure they understand why the rules are still in place and support them, Colin Cox said. As we saw last Summer there may well be places that insist on breaching any of the regulations that remain on a repeated basis and yes, enforcement is an option for them.
The prime minister prefers to centralise power rather than give it away. That is bad news for Britain
Boris Johnson. ‘Local councils, in his view, are just battlegrounds in which to replicate national arguments.’ Photograph: Dan Kitwood/AP
Boris Johnson. ‘Local councils, in his view, are just battlegrounds in which to replicate national arguments.’ Photograph: Dan Kitwood/AP
Mon 10 May 2021 14.26 EDT
Last modified on Tue 11 May 2021 00.21 EDT
Nations are not born; they are made. Whether nations last is entirely up to the people who manufactured them. This provides one important reason to pay attention to the results of last week’s “Super Thursday” elections. In Scotland, the Scottish National party, which has been in power for 14 years, increased its representation in Holyrood. In Wales, Labour upped its vote share by 4% this year, having won 27 general election victories in a row and triumphed six times in devolved polls. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford will re