Resilience forum praises community efforts but say we must keep going to bring infection rates down

Robin Tuddenham, co-Chair of West Yorkshire Prepared and Chief Executive of Calderdale Council, said: “While the situation is improving, with rates levelling or falling in most areas, case rates in those aged 60 and over are still extremely high.

“There also continues to be immense pressure on our hospitals. Although the number of people being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 is stabilising, there are still a large number of people in beds and this, coupled with staffing shortages due to sickness or staff having to isolate, is having an impact.”

There will be a review of the Tiers on December 16 to determine whether regions need to change to a different alert level.

Restrictions will be relaxed from December 23 to December 27 (inclusive) to allow families to be together over the Christmas period.

People from no more than three households will be able to form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’, and people will be allowed to travel between tiers and UK nations to meet up with that bubble.

Dave Walton, co-Chair of West Yorkshire Prepared and Deputy Chief of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The good news is that numbers of COVID-19 cases are starting to fall in West Yorkshire, so the efforts we have all put in over the last four weeks during national lockdown have had a really positive effect. We want to thank everyone who is playing their part in helping to reduce the spread of infection.

“We now need to continue applying that same effort to bring those rates down even further, and hopefully move the region into a lower tier. We can only do this by all working together, following the guidance and pulling in the same direction.”