CAROLINE ANSELL MP: With rising infection rates, the only way was lockdown

I voted in Parliament on Wednesday for a second lockdown in England in order to ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed and to protect vulnerable and older people in Eastbourne and Willingdon.
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In the days before the vote, I talked to local organisations, ministers, my MP colleagues and, most importantly, to East Sussex’s Director of Public Health to fully understand the local situation.

I am told infection rates in East Sussex and Eastbourne have risen quite dramatically recently. From single digit cases per 100,000 people just a few weeks ago to more than 100 infections per 100,000 in the last few days, with evidence of community transmission occurring too.

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I believe the Prime Minister did the right thing attempting a regional solution to combat the rise in infections and, in low infection areas like Eastbourne, this has given us precious extra weeks of economic activity. I am acutely aware of what this lockdown means for our tourism and hospitality industries and so for our whole town. The run-up to Christmas is traditionally an extremely important time for our attractions, shops, hotels and bars and restaurants. That they will close for four weeks after all they have done to become Covid-19 secure and to bounce back from the first lockdown is serious, even with the government’s generous support.

However, I felt the fear of accelerating deaths across the country and here in Eastbourne during the winter when there is always pressure on the NHS means the only alternative was lockdown despite the very real economic worries.

Moving forward, I will be pressing the government to return to a regional model when lockdown ends on December 2 as long as infection rates have dropped, so we can be open for business in those crucial weeks before Christmas.

As many of you know, I favour not just a regional response but an ever more local one and every effort must be put into test and trace so we can respond to local infection spikes much earlier.

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This time lockdown is not as severe and importantly schools remain open. Children need to be in lessons and that is the safest and best place for them to be.

Finally, there is real hope of a vaccine in the New Year. It will not be the silver bullet to crush Covid-19 but it will certainly help. We must learn to live with this awful virus and we must not keep going in and out of lockdown.

Many personal sacrifices will lie behind the next 28 days. We must make sure they count. I appeal to all in Eastbourne, Willingdon, Wannock and Jevington, please do everything in your power to stay safe. P

lease volunteer if you can at https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS and support our local business by buying online wherever you can.

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Through November I will continue to work at home in Eastbourne and in Parliament and you can contact me by email or call 01323 409 000. I will support you in every way I can.

Take care and keep in touch.