WARRINGTON residents are being urged to remain very cautious of coronavirus, despite restrictions relaxing on so-called ‘Freedom Day’.

As part of ‘step four’ of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, which will come into force on Monday, July 19, the majority of legal restrictions will be removed and people will be expected to protect themselves and others through informed choice.

Alongside encouraging take-up the Covid-19 vaccine, people in Warrington are being advised to continue as much as possible with the use of face coverings, social distancing, good hand hygiene and regular testing.

Continuing already existing behaviours will decrease the likelihood of a dangerous and potentially vaccine-resistant mutation of the virus, protect unvaccinated children and lower the number of people who fall ill with Covid-19 and develop ‘long Covid’.

Cllr Maureen McLaughlin, Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet member for public health and wellbeing, says this is necessary due to high infection rates still present in the town.

Warrington Guardian:

“We are all desperate to get back to normal, and despite the national announcement confirming our move to step four from Monday, we cannot ignore the local picture – where our cases numbers are still rising and people are still in hospital due to the virus,” she said.

“We need to remain extra cautious, despite what I know will be the temptation to assume that the move to step four will be a ‘green light’ to live our lives as if the virus is no longer with us.

“We also need to bear in mind that the steps we take to keep ourselves safe, such as keeping our distance and wearing a face covering – which I would strongly recommend you do where necessary – will also help support those who may be nervous about being in busier public spaces or who may be at risk of becoming very unwell if they contract the virus.

“Warrington has shown immense resolve and resilience since the beginning of the pandemic. I ask you once again to keep doing your bit.”

Wearing face coverings is strongly encouraged in areas where social distancing cannot always be guaranteed, where good ventilation may not be possible or where there are multiple people in an enclosed venue.

Warrington Guardian:

This includes, for example, wearing a face mask in supermarkets, health and social care settings, GP surgeries and in other busy areas, such as indoor shopping centres and when on public transport – including trains, buses, taxis and when sharing cars.

In a joint statement, David Hatton and Phil Bailey, managing directors of Direct Taxis and ABBA Taxis respectively, said: “We have worked hard throughout the pandemic to keep our passengers safe.

“Although wearing a face mask is a personal choice, we want to keep our drivers and passengers as protected as possible, so we hope that our customers continue to wear face coverings when using our taxis.”

Warrington’s Own Buses managing director Ben Wakerley added: “Our drivers have regularly been using symptom-free tests throughout the pandemic and have shown a great commitment to keeping their passengers and colleagues as safe as possible.

“Although our passengers do not legally have to wear face covering on-board our buses, they may wish to continue to use them as an added layer of protection.”