MP claims Prime Minister is putting business before safety as Hartlepool's 'death rate and infection rate are high and still rising'

Mike Hill said the Prime Minister was acting too soon by encouraging people to go back to work from Wednesday, May 13, if they can’t work from home.

He added many people in the town are confused about what they can and can’t do after receiving hundreds of emails.

And Mr Hill urged residents to continue to stay at home as Hartlepool is not believed to have seen the peak yet.

He said: “I believe the Prime Minister is acting too early in his encouragement to go back to work. He is acting in the interest of the big business over public health.

“We must remain cautious and conscientious in our behaviour for some time yet to protect our families and our community.

“Where possible, you should still stay at home.”

Mr Hill said anyone who has to return to work should exercise extreme caution to ensure their own safety and that of others.

He added: “Hartlepool is not yet at the peak of this crisis. We are behind the national trend.

“Our death rate and infection rate are high and still rising. I would therefore urge you to proceed with extreme caution if you are returning to work or planning on leaving your home for any non-essential outing.”

And speaking to Parliament on Monday evening, Mr Hill asked how people will get to work if public transport is limited, what childcare issues will arise with schools and nurseries still largely closed, and how social distancing will work in the workplace.

“We all want to see an end to the lockdown, to return to work safely and to get back to normal, but not at any cost, and certainly not at the risk of the virus spreading further,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Johnson said it was a ‘supremely difficult’ balance to strike adding: “We will be driven not by hope or economic revival as an end in itself but by data and science and public health.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.