Bridgnorth residents urged to follow lockdown restrictions
People in Bridgnorth have been urged to continue to follow government Covid guidance – despite the country edging closer to lifting lockdown restrictions and the success of the vaccine roll-out.
Councillor William Parr said he had noticed more vehicles on the roads in recent weeks, while deputy mayor Sarah Barlow admitted the town centre had seemed busier since the announcement of the Prime Minister's roadmap out of lockdown.
Meanwhile, Councillor Geoff Davies said the county's vaccination efforts should act as motivation for people to "be patient" in waiting for measures to ease.
Castle ward representative Councillor Barlow, who works at Oldbury Wells School, said: "We've got the light at the end of the tunnel which is fantastic. We know it's coming, however, we need case numbers to continue to fall.
"With children coming back into school there's a chance the numbers could increase again – although we've been doing lateral flow tests since Monday and we haven't had a single positive."
Councillor Barlow added: "I would definitely say the town seems a little busier, what with the warmer weather as well, there certainly seems to be more people about."
Councillor Parr, who represents Bridgnorth East & Astley Abbotts on Shropshire Council, said: "Sadly there seems to be a lot more vehicular activity on the roads.
"I know people are travelling to work if essential and schools have returned but I have seen this outside of these times and I think there are a lot of people coming to Bridgnorth who have obviously travelled some distance.
"I think most Bridgnorth people on the whole have been excellent and I know it's getting difficult.
"But the point is, we absolutely do not want a third phase of Covid and another summer locked down."
Councillor Davies, who also sits on the committee of Bridgnorth Chamber of Commerce, said many businesses would struggle to cope with a further lockdown caused by people ignoring the rules.
"It looks to me as if the vaccination efforts have so far been a success, we've just got to be patient," he said.
"The businesses in the town have suffered terribly and it's far better for us to follow the guidelines now and go back to some normality as soon as we can."
