A Christmas wish for Southport residents from Director of Public Health, Margaret Jones

Southport residents have been wished a happy Christmas and new year by Director of Public Health, Margaret Jones, but with a clear note of caution:

“I want to wish all of our residents a very Merry Christmas and a happy festive period. I’d like to say a big thank you for all of the efforts you have made over the past two years, and continue to make to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect our families, friends and communities.“Unfortunately, as we move towards 2022, we are facing a new variant of COVID-19 – the Omicron strain. 

The impacts of this variant are still far from fully understood, however we do know that we are seeing record numbers of national infections. We need to continue to do everything we can to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe throughout the festive period and beyond.“It is important that people continue to access asymptomatic Lateral Flow Testing (LFT), stay at home and get tested if they develop symptoms of COVID-19, wear face coverings in public spaces, wash hands regularly, use tissues to catch sneezes and try to keep rooms well-ventilated when meeting people from outside your household.

 I also encourage everyone to get vaccinated, whichever dose is offered to you.“Please have a lovely Christmas with friends and family, but above all, do so safely.”