NHS workers record multilingual message as Hartlepool urged to stay at home over bank holiday weekend

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust is launching an online appeal asking people from all communities to remain home and practice physical distancing to help combat coronavirus.

Focused on targeting potentially hard-to-reach groups, bilingual staff from the trust have recorded video appeals reminding people in a number of languages the threat from Covid-19 remains present.

Nurse Alexandru Andrei, originally from Romania, works at the University Hospital of North Tees and was the first to record an appeal.

He stated he was ‘happy to help get the message out to the local Romanian community and across the country.’

The Trust will be posting Alexandru’s Romanian messages, plus videos in Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Urdu, Punjabi and Filipino across its social media feeds.

Deepak Dwarakanath, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation medical director and deputy chief executive, said: “We want to ensure our messages are clear and accessible to as many people throughout our communities as possible.

“We’re appealing to everyone to share these videos on social media to make sure the vital message to remain at home reaches every part of the north east region, regardless of the language they speak.”

Likewise a fresh appeal to residents has been issued from Hartlepool Borough Council to observe government rules on movement.

This comes ahead of this weekend’s bank holiday which also coincides with the 75th anniversary of VE Day on Friday.

Councillor Shane Moore, leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “We are now six weeks into lockdown and I would like to thank the vast majority of people who have followed the rules in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Your support is much appreciated.

“However, it is important that we do not let our guard down now and make the mistake of thinking that this disease has been beaten.

“I acknowledge that Friday is a huge occasion for the whole country and, of course, it is only right that we celebrate this occasion and pay tribute to the remarkable Second World War generation.

“However, let’s do it safely and in a way which respects the current rules on public gatherings and social distancing.

“Staying at home and avoiding non-essential travel is the only way that we will ultimately get on top of the situation and be able to return to normality.”