As of 2nd May there was a total of 135 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in North East Lincolnshire to date and few new cases. We have been relatively very fortunate; we have less than a third of the cases that North Lincolnshire has had for example. There have been no cases of the virus in any of the Grimsby care homes to date, thanks to the diligance of their staff, which is a blessing. One of the key factors in the low infection rate in our area has been the fantastic way in which people have complied with Government guidance from the very beginning. I know that there have been a few that have behaved thoughtlessly, but overall we can very proud of our Town. Some people in London and wealthier parts of the UK sneer at places like Grimsby, but at times like this we see the vast majority of people here just quietly getting on with it and looking out for each other.
We are not out of the woods yet of course, and won’t be for a long time. The fact that we have escaped fairly lightly to date might mean we are more susceptible to a ‘second wave’ of infection if restrictions across the country are lifted too quickly. I know that local businesses and traders are desperate to get back to some, even a limited, degree of normality. From my discussions with Ministers and other MPs I know that the Government shares that frustration and will do everything possible to get things moving again as quickly as safety allows. Top of my agenda for the coming months is to work closely with local businesses, North East Lincolnshire Council, my colleague Martin Vickers MP and the Government to lessen the negative impact of the virus on the local economy and jobs as much as we possibly can and quickly get into ‘rebuild mode’.
I’d like to thank again all the key workers who continue day-in and day-out to work to protect us and keep essential services running. We can’t thank them often enough.
