My thoughts on COVID in the West Midlands

With the UK’s Coronavirus Alert level being downgraded, I thought I’d share some thoughts on where I think the West Midland is at and where I think we are heading. ?

Yesterday we had just 9 new infections in the urban West Midlands (Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, and the Black Country). At the height of this crisis we were seeing around 300 new infections a day, and for further context there were 1,200 new infections in the UK yesterday.?

What this shows to me is the West Mids has done the most phenomenal job, after a harrowing start, to drive this virus out. A huge thank you must go to public health officials for their work, and also to residents across the region who have been remarkably responsible.?

With a low number of new infections, an R rate below one, and Test and Trace up and running, it is clear to me the slow easing of lockdown measures is the right thing to do for the West Midlands, and we can now start to shift our attention to the economic aspect of this crisis.?

BUT the positive direction of travel does not mean we can let up in any way. As we’ve seen in neighbouring Leicester this week, outbreaks can occur quickly and turn the tide against us. We need EVERYBODY to remain vigilant and responsible and do all they can to keep safe.?

This means please keep following the Government guidelines, and keep up the social distancing and the handwashing.?

Finally we mustn’t forget this terrible virus has claimed thousands of lives in our region, and we should keep everyone who has lost loved ones in our thoughts. We cannot afford to get complacent now.