Coronavirus cases are continuing to fall in Cumbria as the county learns to live with the virus.
In the week ending Friday 11 February 11, there were 2,278 new cases in Cumbria – a decrease of 833 or 27% from 3,111 new cases in the previous week.
These figures mirror the national picture and as such the Government have already made clear their intention to end all COVID-19 restrictions later this month.
However, Cumbria’s Director of Public Health, Colin Cox is warning that the pandemic is not yet over and that everyone can play a part in keeping their community safe.
Mr Cox said: “We are very clearly in a different phase of the pandemic; we have seen thousands of infections but thankfully for most people the symptoms have been mild. Again, this week the number of new infections has dropped, continuing the slow but steady decline we have been seeing.
“But COVID isn’t going away and there are still many people who are genuinely vulnerable to the virus.
“We do need to learn to live with COVID, but we must do so safely, remembering that COVID is a much scarier prospect for some people than others and that there are simple things that we can do to help protect those who are vulnerable.
“It will continue to make sense to test regularly, especially before meeting people at higher risk, face masks remain a good idea in crowded spaces, simple handwashing was always a good idea long before COVID.
“I’d encourage people to think about what learning to live safely with COVID means for them, their friends and family, and make sensible decisions about how we can continue to protect people and minimise the risk to people’s health.”