A message from Cllr Steve Curran, Leader of Hounslow Council
The roadmap laid down by the Prime Minister in Parliament yesterday is welcome news for every resident, family and business in the Borough. The chance of a return to normal life on June 21st is not one any of us want to miss.
But taking that chance will need three key commitments from us all.
First, it relies on us taking the vaccine. The only way we can finally escape this dreadful virus is by becoming vaccinated against it. I urge you - take your chance when the call comes from the NHS. For you, for your loved ones and for the thousands of extremely vulnerable residents still at risk in our communities.
I know there are untruths about the vaccine, but you can get more information about the vaccine and how to get it here.
Second, we must continue to follow the rules. So much has been sacrificed and so many lives lost that we must not blow our chance. That means we must keep doing what we’ve been doing: following the rules; Hands Face Space, Keeping your distance, Wearing a mask.
Thirdly, we need to protect ourselves and others by getting regularly tested. If you do not have symptoms, get a rapid test. If you have symptoms, get a test at a local testing site or mobile testing site. If we test positive, we need to isolate to stop further spread. Any increase in rates will put the roadmap off-course. You can book a test here.
These are the things that will make it possible to return to life without COVID-19 rules on June 21st.
If we go the wrong way, if we get distracted, if we go backwards; we will lose that chance. If we get it wrong, people will continue to become unwell and may not recover.
We have reached a point where the roadmap is possible, because the majority have followed the rules, made sacrifices and shown true 'One Hounslow' spirit.
But remember, this is not over yet. If we are going to reach our goal, we must keep our eyes on the road.
