Today in Parliament Antony Higginbotham MP asked an Urgent Question of the Vaccines Minister regarding the guidance that has been issued for areas where the so called Indian variant has been identified, including Burnley and Padiham.
Antony Higginbotham MP said:
What we need now is very clear communication from the Government so that all residents and businesses know exactly what is expected of them; along with the tools to come down on any outbreaks hard.
That’s why I asked the Minister to confirm that this guidance, which has generated much anxiety because of the media reporting, does not prevent people from exercising the freedoms that we reclaimed last Monday. He confirmed that point and so there is no ‘local lockdown’.
But we all recognise the need to remain cautious if we’re to allow the vaccine rollout, which is being surged in our area, to continue successfully, given it takes time for that to provide good levels of immunity"
Surge testing is also being put in place, which Antony is encouraging everyone to take part in; as well as an ask for us all to be mindful of the new variant by, for example, keeping distance and not hugging. That’s what this new guidance notes - and importantly this is not a change in the law, but a reinforcement of the ask for caution.
Antony has also requested a meeting to talk through what more we can do to make sure this communication is clear in the areas where we need it most, and what further tools can be provided.
