Derbyshire health chief urges public to 'do right thing and stick to lockdown rules'

Police said Matlock and Matlock Bath were ‘very busy’ on Saturday and Sunday – and officers handed out eight fines.

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The nation has been buoyed by recent positive news about falling infections, hospitalisations and deaths, and the success of the vaccine roll-out.

But officials are reminding people that the nation is still in lockdown – and people must stay at home unless they have a reasonable excuse to be out in a bid to protect the NHS and help save lives.

Dean Wallace, Derbyshire County Council’s director of public health, said: “Following Government rules and guidelines is making a real difference and it’s so important we all carry on doing all we can.

“That means abiding by the national lockdown and following the basics that we are more than familiar with now – hands, face, space.

“I’d also encourage people to go and get tested at the community testing facilities that are now open around the county so that people who have the virus but are not showing any symptoms can isolate if they test positive, and help to stop the spread.

“The vaccine roll-out is a big step forward in the fight against coronavirus, but it must not make us complacent and I’d really urge people to do the right thing and stick to the rules.”

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said ‘we must all continue to play our part’ in controlling the spread of the virus.

He said: “Infection rates are falling, but they still remain very high and the impact of Covid-19 is still putting pressure on hospitals across the country.

“Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all continue to play our part in protecting the NHS and saving lives.”

Latest figures from NHS England show a total of 301,637 people across Derbyshire have now had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine – up from 43,891 on the previous week.

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