Monday’s announcement on the covid-19 lockdown was a necessary measure and there’s no doubt it’s going to be an extremely tough time.
My primary concern is to protect people living and working in our city but most of all our more vulnerable residents.
By taking the actions below, you can help the NHS and that means you can help save lives.
To protect ourselves, we need to look out for one another so we all need to keep being very disciplined about staying at home and only leaving the house for food, medicines, essential work or for some exercise once a day – and maintaining our 2 metres of social distance when we do go out.
What I’ve been so heartened by is the efforts our local communities are putting in to support each other.
Our city has again come together in difficult times and I’m proud to call Brighton and Hove home.
Please do check out the Brighton and Hove Covid-19 Mutual Aid website and its Facebook Group.
There are local groups all across the city, linking up neighbours and communities with social media and WhatsApp to help people who are older, more vulnerable or self-isolating with things like picking up essential groceries and medicines and generally making sure everyone is ok.
Acorn has also been mobilising volunteers, leafleting across the city and is helping those in need with deliveries of essentials.
The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership is co-ordinating food bank donations and food deliveries to those who need them.
If you are a café or a restaurant and want to donate food, please do contact them and they can redistribute it to those in need.
Thank you to the staff and volunteers who are doing amazing work.
Thank you to the staff in our schools and nurseries who are keeping schools open to provide childcare for key worker families are doing incredible work to help keep the city running.
I also want to say a massive thank you to our NHS and care workers, who are on the front line of combating the virus and are working round the clock to keep us safe.
We all love our NHS and admire the work the staff do, which is why we must support and protect them by following the guidance to stay home.
Our city is strong and is pulling together to support one another. We’ll come through this together – and be an even stronger city afterwards.
Councillor Nancy Platts is the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council.
