EVERYONE in Kent should act as though they have coronavirus and try as hard as they can to avoid passing it on to others, Matt Hancock warned today.
The Health Secretary gave a stark warning to the 1.8million people living in the South East corner of England that it was the areas with the “biggest problem” and people must be “really cautious”.
Kent – which is already in Tier 3 – has one of the highest Covid-19 rates in the country.
And it’s seen an exponential rise in cases across the area in recent weeks, which is possibly part of a new strain of coronavirus which may spread even more easily.
The new variant that has been found predominantly in Kent and neighbouring areas – but has spread as far as Scotland.
Mr Hancock singled out the county when quizzed by local MP Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, who asked him for a fortnightly review of the Tier decision, and extra support for local businesses who have had to shut.
Mr Hancock replied in the House of Commons today: “I would say to everybody right across Kent, we really need to act with serious responsibility – no matter which part of Kent you are in.
“We have a very serious problem.
“The only way we can get it under control is for people in Kent to essentially behave as if they have the virus and are trying not to pass it on to somebody else.
“Be really cautious in Kent.”
He claimed it was the part of the country which has the worst case rates, and some of the bigest pressures on the NHS as a result.
But he vowed that other areas – like Liverpool – had shown it was possible for everyone to drive the virus down.
Mass testing is due to be rolled out across Tier 3 areas including Kent in the coming days.
People will be able to get tested even if they have no symptoms.
Mr Hancock warned today that one in three people could have no symptoms of Covid and be passing it back to their families this Christmas.
It comes after the PM ordered the nation to rethink their Christmas plans yesterday, and called on them to have a smaller, shorter gathering with friends and family instead.
And he urged people to stay at home if they could.
Wales is ordering no more than two households to meet up, and in Scotland Nicola Sturgeon says celebrations shouldn’t last more than a day.
