Lucy Frazer MP – Update on vaccines and easing of restrictions

The news that over 20 million individuals have been vaccinated and the Prime Minister’s road to recovery plan have brought optimism to our way out of the pandemic. In our area, over 235,500 people have had the vaccine- this is fantastic news.

Vaccination centres are operating at Addenbrooke’s, Cathedral Medical Centre, Ely and Staploe Medical Centre, Soham, A full list of vaccination centres, hospital hubs and medical centres carrying out the vaccinations can be found here.

If you are aged 64 or over, eligible for Carer’s Allowance, or Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and have not yet received your vaccine, but would like to be vaccinated, please book now via www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119. If you are not aged 64 or over, eligible for Carer’s Allowance, or Clinically Extremely Vulnerable please wait to be invited to book your appointment.

The roadmap sets out four stages for easing restrictions, with at least five weeks between each phase to allow us to examine the latest data and subject it to four key tests:

• That the vaccine rollout continues successfully.
• That the evidence shows vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalisation and death.
• That infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations that would put the NHS under unsustainable pressure.
• That our assessment is not fundamentally changed by new variants of Covid that cause concern

Some of the measures include:

Step 1: 

🗓 8th March:
– Schools and colleges open
– Recreation or exercise outdoors with household or one other person
– Wraparound childcare
– Funerals (30 people), wakes and weddings (6 people)

🗓 29th March:
– Rule of 6 or two households outdoors
– Outdoor sport and leisure facilities
– Organised outdoor sport
– Outdoor parents and child groups (up to 15 parents)

Step 2: 

🗓 No earlier than 12 April
– Indoor leisure, including gyms
– Most outdoor attractions (zoos, theme parks)
– Libraries and community centres
– Hairdressers and personal care
– Wakes and weddings (15 people)
– All retail can re-open
– Outdoor hospitality
– Self-contained accommodation
– Domestic overnight stays
– Event pilots
– Indoor parent and child groups (up to 15 people, excluding under 5s)

Step 3: 

🗓 No earlier than 17 May
– Indoor hospitality
– Indoor entertainment and attractions
– 30 person limit outdoors
– Organised indoor adult sport
– International travel (subject to review)
– Bigger life events (30 people)
– rule of 6 indoors / 2 households indoors (subject to review)

Step 4: 

🗓 No earlier than 21 June
– No legal limits on social contact or life events
– Larger events and nightclubs

This is fantastic news and demonstrates the impact of the vaccine rollout. For further detailed information on the Government’s response please click here.

This will lay the groundwork for its bid to the Department of Health for the funding needed to undertake a £45 million upgrade. This will enable it to offer more services.

Ensuring that those in and around Ely no longer have to travel all the way to Addenbrooke’s for treatment was one of my campaign pledges, and I’m working hard to make that a reality. I have campaigned for years to ensure that services continue and I will continue to press the Government for the case for funding.

Additionally, I was really pleased to see that the Princess of Wales Hospital will pioneer a new care suite scheme with 80 care suites – most of which will be available for those over 65 with complex health or social care needs.

Focusing on self-contained accommodation, these would enable residents to improve or maintain their independence. A business case is expected to be submitted later this year and I will keep you posted on any developments.

Looking forward to catching up with you as the restrictions lift!

Kind regards

Lucy Frazer MP
MP for South East Cambridgeshire