You'll be aware that the Govt announced its roadmap for the easing of coronavirus restrictions yesterday. It includes a four step process for the gradual lifting of the lockdown rules.

The Prime Minister's announcement obviously has implications for various county council services, not least our schools with reopening set for 8 March. 

The link below is to a summary of the Govt's announcement. We will keep you updated as the details of local arrangements are agreed. Govt roadmap for Spring 2021

Latest headlines on the vaccination programme in Sussex:

• Sussex has now surpassed the half million mark of vaccinations to protect those in the most vulnerable groups.
• Last week the NHS in Sussex met the national target for all those in the first four priority groups to have been offered the vaccine by 15 February.
• In the coming days, local vaccination services will also start to contact people who are due for their second dose, to make sure that all those who have had one jab receive their follow up appointment.

For more information visit Sussex vaccination programme

More than 20,000 people in Sussex have been added to the list of people who are clinically extremely vulnerable (also known as the shielded patient list) after a new assessment of the health of local communities.

People in this group will have received a letter advising them that they are now on the clinically extremely vulnerable list, putting them at high priority for a vaccination. They will also receive a letter from the national vaccination programme encouraging them book their appointment.

Research commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer identified people who may be at increased risk of becoming seriously unwell from coronavirus due to a combination of their individual characteristics and their underlying health conditions.

For more information visit: local information and support for the clinically extremely vulnerable and Guidance on shielding and protecting the clinically vulnerable.

Energy suppliers are required by the regulator, Ofgem, to hold a register of customers in a vulnerable circumstance, called a Priority Service Register.

Anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus you can be added to this register. There are also a range of other reasons they can be added, for example: people of pensionable age, the disabled or chronically sick, those who have a long-term medical condition, people with hearing or visual impairment or additional communication needs, or residents who are in a vulnerable situation.

For more information, how to be added and the additional services suppliers can provide, please visit Ofgem

The continuing fall in the number of new cases in East Sussex means our infection rate is less than half the national figure. 

The latest stats show an infection rate of 56 new cases per 100,000 population in East Sussex while the rate for England is 125.

The figures reported below show the number of new cases for the latest 7-day period available.  For comparison, the figure in brackets is the number of new cases in the seven day period covered by the previous update. Source: https://coronavirus-staging.data.gov.uk/details/cases   22 February, 2021

Table: Total number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in East Sussex in the seven days leading up to 17 February 2021

You can also see fuller context for East Sussex and commentary from the Director of Public Health in the weekly bulletin published each Friday.

There is a web page on our website that brings together a range of information and advice regarding the coronavirus. 

Visit: Coronavirus - help and support