IN his latest message to residents Thurrock Council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill has spoken about the success in beating back the impact of covid-19 but warns borough people not to be complacent.

Cllr Gledhill says: "We are now in a position where the rules and restrictions around coronavirus have been lifted, however the virus is still with us and now it is up to all of us to take responsibility in making our own decisions about how to best manage the risks of COVID-19, just as we do every year with seasonal flu.

"We have thankfully seen significant reductions in the number of people in Thurrock testing positive for covid in the last few weeks. We have gone from being amongst the upper tier local authorities with the highest rate of infections to now being among the lowest.

"It is no coincidence that during this time we have also seen the rules change and restrictions lifted. The freedoms we can now safely enjoy have been earned by everyone doing all they can to keep one another safe and we should all be proud of what we have collectively achieved. Thank-you for your consideration of others throughout the pandemic.

"We have twice borne the brunt of new variants and twice we have beaten them back.

"Now it is important that we all make our own choices of how to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, and that we respect the decisions of others when we are out in public places.

"The vaccine has played, and continues to play, a key role in helping to get us to where we are and remains important going forward. We are working with health colleagues to get the message out, and to set up temporary vaccination centres in areas where uptake has been lowest.

"The best advice I can give residents is to make sure you are keeping up-to-date with guidance and travel rules by visiting the gov.uk/coronavirus website. This is especially important if you are planning to travel to other parts of the union or abroad where the rules and requirements are likely to be different.