Politically speaking – By Imran Ahmad Khan, MP for Wakefield – Ready to protect against coronavirus spike

As midsummer approaches, we have reached a vital crossroads in our battle against the coronavirus, with the prospect of a potential ‘second wave’ incoming.
Pinderfields: Where 15 people tested positive last week for coronavirus in a respiratory ward (Photo: Scott Merrylees)Pinderfields: Where 15 people tested positive last week for coronavirus in a respiratory ward (Photo: Scott Merrylees)
Pinderfields: Where 15 people tested positive last week for coronavirus in a respiratory ward (Photo: Scott Merrylees)

The phased easing of restrictions across the country has coincided with a perilous spike in coronavirus cases and a concerning rise in the rate of infection.

Over the past week, this has become particularly evident across the North of England, as regions and districts have seen a reintroduction of lockdown measures, which has seen the re-implementing of social distancing and prohibiting cross-pollination of family units.

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The confirmation that has been received from the NHS Mid Yorkshire Trust – that 15 people last week tested positive within a respiratory ward in Pinderfields – brings the issue to the forefront of our minds in Wakefield.

I have been and I continue to remain in daily contact with Martin Barkley of the Trust, to monitor the situation and I have been proactively offering my complete support to the hospital.

Candidly, I am concerned about the prospect of the reinforced lockdown measures on Wakefield, following the implementation in neighbouring Kirklees, Calderdale and Bradford.

An enforced lockdown is likely to have a devastating effect on an already precarious local economy and will jeopardise the future of jobs, businesses and the wider recovery in the city.

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As a nation and as a city, I believe we simply cannot afford a second economic lockdown.

The impressive and far-reaching support measures that Her Majesty’s Treasury implemented to save livelihoods cannot and will not be repeated.

Businesses across the constituency have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that their operations are COVID-19 secure, and we must ensure that we support their reopening in a safe and sensible manner that champions both public health and commercial logic.

As I wrote to you all in April, it is vital to reemphasise the employment of caution in our public lives– a message I would like to underline to the young, fit and healthy among us.

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The World Health Organisation has in the past week warned that younger people could be driving spikes in coronavirus across the continent and in the United Kingdom.

I wholeheartedly appreciate the pent up yearning to enjoy the summer with friends, but it is vitally important that social distancing measures are employed when you do so, if not for your own protection, but for the protection of your community and those closest to you who may be elderly, have underlying health conditions or shielding.

You matter, and the actions you take matter.

Last week, families across Wakefield celebrated Eid in completely alien fashion.

While we have all benefited from video technology to communicate with friends and families, there is no question that human contact is irreplaceable.

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Just like Christmas, Eid is a celebration where the family unit is cherished and is a time to come together. However, Eid is also a time of self-sacrifice. My plea to you all is a humble and simple one; to remain vigilant and employ that spirit of sacrifice for the benefit of all within Wakefield at this crucial time in our recovery together.