Councillor Roger Truelove.
In response to the number of cases in the borough, leader of the council, Cllr Roger Truelove, said:
“It is very disappointing to see that Swale is again being reported as having the highest infection rate in the country, an unwanted position that Swale and Medway appear to alternate around daily.
“We have seen fluctuations up and down over recent weeks and whilst we have not returned to the position of 648/100K that we had a few weeks ago, it is still of great concern.
“There have been very significant rises elsewhere in Kent and the decision to put the whole of Kent into Tier 3, because of the county-wide impact on the NHS, has now proven to be sound.
“Whilst not unique to Swale, and without wanting to condemn anyone which can be unhelpful, we do still have problems with compliance in our community.
“People are worried about the loss of income if they have Covid-19, so can be reluctant to get a test. Some are finding it difficult to maintain social distancing in their workplaces. People are also tired of seeing others’ non-compliance and unwillingness to abide by rules, and fatigue around how long this has gone on means not everyone is observing the rules about not mixing households in their own home.
“The situation facing the NHS over the next few months is going to be very critical - and could impact on other, non-Covid services in the busy winter period.
“To prevent this, we need to have greater willingness to comply with the public health guidance, not just in Swale, but across Kent.”
Swale Borough Council
