Hastings and Rother residents urged to reconsider Christmas plans to slow Covid-19 spread

Darrell Gale, East Sussex County Council’s director of public health, has issued a stark warning to festive revellers as the county teeters on the brink of being placed into Tier 3, which will mean further social restrictions.

Hastings and Rother had some of the lowest Covid-19 infection rates in the county up until six weeks ago when the figures began to spiral.

Now Rother currently has the highest infection rate of all the districts in East Sussex, with Hastings predicted to overtake its neighbour “in the next couple of days”, hitting the grim milestone of 200 infections per every 100,000 people.

Health officials discovered at the start of the November lockdown that the underlying rate of infection in Hastings and Rother was higher than previously thought.

Mr Gale told the Observer: “We know across the county that people may have had last social events before lockdown and we can see evidence of people being infected by that.

“We are looking at data now of people who had tested last week, so before lockdown was eased. These are people who have been infected during lockdown, not afterwards.”

He added: “Having come into Tier 2, I am very worried that there is more virus circulating in Hastings and Rother than we were aware of at the start of lockdown.

“I’m worried people still think the rates are low and continue to behave as if they are low.

“We want people to know the rates are not low and there are things they can do to help stop it.”

Mr Gale warned the public not to become complacent, to observe social restrictions, wear face coverings, practise good hand hygiene and to get tested and self-isolate when necessary.

He also stressed that the two metre rule should continue to be observed at a time when Christmas shopping is hitting its peak.

Mr Gale said: “I have heard people complaining around some of the big retail areas that ‘it’s madness out there’ and it is too crowded.

“We want to see a reduction in crowds and crowding and we want to see people keep two metres apart.”

He added: “If anyone goes anywhere and feels crowded then they should consider whether they want to stay there. It is in these crowding events that we will get this community spread.”

With the five-day Christmas Covid bubble due to start in just two weeks time, Mr Gale is urging people to consider their festive plans carefully.

He said: “We know that the messaging here is potentially confusing for people.

“We are in a higher tier than we were in East Sussex prior to lockdown, so we are asking people to be more restricted. But then we have the five days of Christmas to meet friends.

“I am making a plea to people to do only what is completely necessary rather than doing it just because they can do it.”

Mr Gale said that religious observance, meeting a close relative’s new baby for the first time and saying goodbye to a loved one who is dying would be acceptable reasons for household bubbles to meet.

But he said: “Anyone else who thinks ‘it’s Christmas, let’s get the family all together’...if there’s no other reason, consider if that’s the best thing to do as the rates are higher.”

Mr Gale added: “I don’t want to be a party pooper, but people need to think what is absolutely necessary rather than just push the limit and max out. Hold back from doing that.

“It’s a really big ask of people, but I also get that none of us want to be entering into lockdown in the new year.

“We will want to be moving on with life as quickly as the situation allows.”

Statistics show that in the days leading up to December 3, the infection rate in Hastings stood at 152 per 100,000 members of the population. It is expected this figure will hit 200 in the next couple of days, overtaking Rother.

Rother’s infection rate stood at 157 out of 100,000 in the days leading up to December 3. This is expected to rise to 170 in the next couple of days.

Infection rates in Wealden and Eastbourne are expected to remain “relatively stable”, while Lewes district continues to maintain the lowest infection rate in the county.

Infection rates in care homes in East Sussex have remained low, thanks to rigorous testing of staff and residents. And despite a number of schools having to close or send pupils home due to cases of Covid-19, Mr Gale praised education settings for their actions.

He said: “We have not had a lot of school outbreaks, but you will have one or two cases and then the whole year group and teachers have to self-isolate.

“I think schools have done a really, really good job against a really difficult situation.”

And Mr Gale urged residents to consider the institution which inspired us to place rainbows in our windows and gather for a nationwide applause every Thursday night.

Mr Gale said: “This is about not just the virus itself, but protecting the NHS - maternity services, cancer services. All the serious inpatients and outpatients could be impacted by a rush of Covid, so treatment could be disrupted and none of us want to see that.”

He added: “We don’t want to stray into the highest tier if possible, and the decisions of us all contribute to bringing infection rates down.”