LABOUR politicians have praised the sacrifices made by St Helens residents after it was confirmed the region will move into Tier 2 when the national lockdown ends.

Leaders across the Liverpool City Region have been preparing to make the case to move out of Tier 3 – the highest alert level of the government’s regional tier system – and into Tier 2.

The region did not get the opportunity to make that case, although leaders remained confident enough progress had been made in bringing infections rates down to make the switch.

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Back in October – when the Liverpool City Region was placed under Tier 3 – the weekly rate had peaked at 470 per 100,000.

Since then infection rates and hospital admissions have been falling across Liverpool City Region, which St Helens is a part of.

In St Helens, the rolling seven day infection rate has dropped to 184.4 per 100,000 after 333 cases in the week to November 21.

This is down from a rate of 290.2 (524 cases) a week earlier.

And today, the government confirmed that the Liverpool City Region would be moving into Tier 2 from December 2.

Cllr David Baines, the leader of St Helens Council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the move is “great news” for the region.

But he warned that, while Covid-19 infection rates are falling, they remain too high

Cllr Baines said “Everyone across St Helens borough is playing their part to get our infection rates down and that effort is clearly having an impact as we have come out of lockdown in a better position and in the Tier 2 alert level.

“By following the rules, we have seen a significant decrease in our infection rates across St Helens borough  and the mass testing programme in Liverpool is helping us to better understand the virus and, importantly, identify people who don’t have symptoms but have tested positive so that they can self-isolate and prevent the further spread of the virus.

“While our figures are reducing, they are still too high, but we have demonstrated that by following the rules, we can improve our infection rates here in St Helens borough.

“This is a great achievement and one that we will continue to build on over the coming weeks and months.

“Stop. Think. Do the right thing by continuing to follow the rules so that we can start to do and enjoy the things we once did and get back to some sort of normality sooner.”

The news has also been welcomed by Conor McGinn, Labour MP for St Helens North, although he warned that “many difficult months ahead lie ahead”.

He urged the public to act responsibly and continue to the coronavirus guidance in the run up Christmas.

Mr McGinn said: “This is welcome news and an indication that we are moving in the right direction.

“It is clear from my discussions with Health Ministers this week that the responsible actions of people in St Helens borough and across Merseyside in adhering to the rules, alongside the hard work of our NHS and public health teams, has helped us make significant progress in lowering the rates.

“However, no one should be in any doubt that many difficult months ahead lie ahead. Businesses and workers still need significantly more support from Government, our hospitals are still under severe pressure and the virus is still very prevalent in our communities.

“We all need to continue to follow the guidance and act responsibly, especially in the run up to Christmas.”

St Helens Star:

Marie Rimmer, MP for St Helens South and Whiston, added: “The sacrifices that everyone has been making over the past few weeks and months have made a real difference. Infection rates are going in the right direction, as is the ‘R’ number.

"Our duty now is to carry on following these new rules to protect ourselves and our neighbours.

“There is now a vaccine on the horizon, the restrictions we face will not be around forever. Until then, I urge everyone to remain cautious and stick by these new rules. If told to self-isolate, it is so important that everyone sticks to it.

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"I understand that it is tough to do, but self-isolating is how we stop the spread and keep our community safe.

"The Christmas period will be different and difficult for so many of us. I have a large family myself, yet I will only be able to see a fraction of them.

"It will be tough. We all must stick to the guidelines, wear our facemasks and maintain social distancing, that way we can get through this together.”