A council boss has appealed to residents to continue their battle against coronavirus despite the infection rates still coming down in his borough.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of Swale council, said: “It took a national lockdown for our figures to come down to this level, and whilst the vaccine rollout is going well, we simply can’t afford to be complacent.

“We all need to carry on following the national directions, and keep ourselves and others safe, if we want to gradually enjoy the relaxations the government has set out in its roadmap.

“We’ve recently seen schools reopen, and we will soon be allowed to meet up outside with others, albeit with restrictions. The effect of these changes won’t be seen for up to a month later, and we don’t want to risk the dates being delayed because we are stretching the rules."

He added: “Our public health colleagues are encouraging everyone to take regular symptom-free tests, twice a week, so we can try to prevent cases spiralling upwards again.

“Households where there are children in school can pick up home testing kits, and local businesses have been invited to carry out workplace testing to keep their workforce, and their families, safe."

Swale had the highest Covid-19 rates in the country at points in November and December.

The council pointed to figures for seven days ending on March 11 where the number of positive cases per 100,000 people was 44.0, up 2.0 from the week before. This was the second highest in Kent, and above the county average of 28.6.

However, the latest figures, from the seven days up to March 12, showed slight decrease in cases. The borough had a rate of 38.6 Covid cases per 100,000 people – a 4.9% drop on the previous week.

However, this is still slightly above the Kent average. The county had a rate of 28.4 cases per 100,000 people during the same period – a 22% drop on the previous week.

To book a symptom-free test, click here or, if you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, book a symptomatic test by clicking here.

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