Campaign aims to clear up confusion over virus advice

LET'S do the Right Thing for Warwickshire is the catchline for a new county council campaign.

It is liaising with the district and borough councils to ensure the public is clear about the guidance for keeping individuals and communities safe from Covid-19.

As restrictions have been lifting, feedback has shown that some people are not clear about the message that the pandemic is not over.

The main aim of the campaign is to raise awareness around the simple things people can do to stop the spread of the virus and to bring communities together, to help them understand the importance of the role they play.

It will be broken down into the district and borough areas, so each part of the county can take ownership of the campaign and act as ambassadors for their community.

Key to it is the message that everybody needs to play their part and do the right thing for themselves, their friends and family, neighbours and their communities.

The key messages remain around regular washing and sanitising of hands, keeping a safe social distance of at least 2m wherever possible and being up to speed on where face masks must be worn.

The message of staying home if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Covid-19 and arranging a test is also strongly reinforced.

County council leader Cllr Izzi Seccombe said: “As lockdown measures have been eased, there has been some confusion as to what the guidance is. Our intelligence shows that people’s reactions to the continued relaxation of measures are very different.

“Some are very much back to business as usual hanging out with their friends, spending time with their family, going off to the pub and some are still very cautious.

"But we need people to be clear that the pandemic is not over and as a community we all continue to have a role to play to protect each other.

"We can start to resume many aspects of our normal lives, but we need to do be cautious and do things slightly differently to how we used to do them, while the virus is still present and continues to pose a risk.

“Let’s Do the Right Thing aims to instil a community spirit to control the virus together. It’s not just about individuals keeping themselves safe but also making sure that, by taking action to stop the spread, that we keep communities safe.

"So not only do people need to take steps to keep vulnerable family members safe, but also ensure that they don’t spread the virus to people they don’t know who may also be at risk.

“So please let’s do the right thing for Warwickshire. Wear a face covering when going shopping or on public transport. Continue to wash your hands regularly and stay a safe distance away from people that are not in your bubble and if you have symptoms, self-isolate immediately and book a test.

"They are relatively simple steps, but critical to ensure that we stop the spread of the virus and save lives.”