THE announcement on the Covid-19 lockdown was a necessary measure and there’s no doubt it’s going to be an extremely tough time. My primary concern is to protect people living in our city, but most of all our key workers and more vulnerable residents.

By taking the actions below, you can help the NHS and that means you can help save lives.

You should only leave the house for food, medicines, essential work or for some exercise once a day. We have closed our playgrounds and outdoor sports facilities. Signs are going up but unfortunately some people are taking them down – this is irresponsible and places others at risk. Please can you let me know if this happens in your area and we will get them replaced.

Our parks and beaches will remain open for people who live nearby and don’t have gardens. But, we are strongly urging people who want to visit our city and particularly our beaches to stay away.

We take the containment of this pandemic seriously and we cannot have packed beaches and parks where the virus can spread further. I’m having to deliver a message I wouldn’t want to in any other circumstances, but we need people to stay away from Brighton and Hove. We have to get tough on this, so if people think they are coming down for a day trip to lie in the sun on the beach at this time of crisis, we will be telling them to go home. I have asked the police to support us and they were at Brighton Station and by the beach to ensure our message to “stay at home” is clear.

Locally, for most of us, getting outside for exercise once a day is recommended for positive mental health, as long as we keep our distance. When you do go out, you must stay two metres (about six feet) away from other people. Stay with people in your household and don’t meet up in groups. Please do not meet up with friends and family in parks or on the beach for picnics, barbecues or other social gatherings. Please keep following the Government and Public Health England guidance – we’ve all got to do our bit to keep each other safe, especially our vulnerable residents.

You may have seen or heard from me on the news outlets recently. I have been talking to the BBC, Sky, ITV and more, and of course The Argus. I’m trying to get the message out there as clearly and as widespread as possible to stay at home, support our NHS and help save lives.

What I’ve been so heartened by is the efforts our local communities are putting in to support each other. Our city has again come together in difficult times and I’m proud to call Brighton and Hove home. Please do check out the Brighton and Hove Covid-19 Mutual Aid website, and its Facebook Group. There are local groups all across the city, linking up neighbours and communities with social media and WhatsApp to help people who are older, more vulnerable or self-isolating with things like picking up essential groceries and medicines and generally making sure everyone is OK.

The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership are co-ordinating food bank donations and food deliveries to those who need them. If you are a café or a restaurant and need to donate food, please do contact them and they can redistribute to those in need.

Please do not buy more than you need for you and your family. Please do not stockpile. If you do that, other people, who may be sick or vulnerable are forced to come out more often or travel further than necessary to get their shopping.

To protect ourselves, we need to look out for one another. Thank you to the staff and volunteers involved who are doing amazing work.Thank you to the staff in our schools and nurseries who are keeping schools open to provide childcare for key worker families are doing incredible work to help keep the city running.

And a massive thank you to our NHS and care workers, who are on the frontline of combating the virus and are working round the clock to keep us safe. We all love our NHS and admire the work the staff do, which is why we must support and protect them by following the guidance to stay home.

The Covid-19 outbreak is also having an economic impact, and some people have lost their jobs. Meanwhile, there is essential work that needs to be done across Brighton and Hove, such as refuse collection. A Facebook page “B&H Looking For Work/Looking For Workers” has been set up to try and link up those out of work with frontline services that need support, and job vacancies will be posted on the Brighton Covid-19 Mutual Aid site as well. We are a strong city and we’ll come through this together.