Calls for stricter enforcement and 'thinking of others' as Hartlepool faces up to cases rising

Health chiefs noted it can be a challenge to enforce measures such as wearing a mask and social distancing, and said they are looking to adopt a ‘community cohesion’ approach to encourage residents to follow guidelines.

It came as the Hartlepool Health and Wellbeing Board were given an update on the spread of Covid-19 in the town and steps being taken to mitigate risks.

Hartlepool had seen a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the town over the past week, as has the North East as a whole.

Cllr Brenda Harrison said she was ‘appalled’ after meeting a resident while out walking who said they were not wearing face masks as they did not think it would help.

She said: “I think it was reflective of some people’s attitude because I think there’s a lot of ‘I’m alright Jack’ and it doesn’t matter about the rest.

“I know the message has gone out, and there’s been some really good messages that have gone out, but we really need to be a little bit more enforcing on some of the things that we think will help.

“I think face coverings will help, it might not be the solution completely, but it’s one of the things that will help.

“When I wear a face mask I’m not so much thinking about myself, I’m thinking about other people, and that’s where I think it’s all gone wrong because people are not thinking about other people.

Health chiefs in Hartlepool noted this was centred on a rise in the number of younger people, age 18-35, testing positive for coronavirus in particular.

Craig Blundred, acting director of public health at Hartlepool Borough Council, said he shared some of the concerns raised by Cllr Harrison and noted it can be difficult to enforce measures at times.

Therefore he stressed the importance of adopting a community approach and sending out appropriate messages to residents to keep the town informed.

He said: “That is a challenge in enforcing things, one of the key things we can do is to work with our communities through our engagement board to work with them to address this fact that we’re all in it together.

“If we help each other there will be a positive outcome for this and that’s one of the key areas I want to explore, how we develop that community cohesion approach to reinforcing the messages but also bringing the town along with us.

“Hopefully that might negate some of these views people have around not complying with some of the requirements of wearing a face mask or social distancing.”

He also added more engagement work will be taking place to support Covid-19 guidelines and encourage people to comply with them.

Dr Nick Timlin, representing the NHS Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group, also agreed they should continue to push the messaging encouraging people to wear face masks.

A message from the editor

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/subscriptions to sign up.

You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off at https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/