THE council's director of public health has urged residents to "be vigilant" and continue to "follow good behaviours" to stop the spread of coronavirus and keep schools open.

Alistair Hill said that positive cases in all school age children in the city are high and rising, with absences requiring staff and parents to juggle face-to-face and remote learning.

He said: "Everyone wants to keep children in school and keep the schools open. To do that we need to continue following the good behaviours we've learned and encourage children, friends and family to do the same.

"I'd still recommend adults and older children to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed places and on public transport.

"We must all be vigilant about testing and isolating to stop the spread of the virus, and please stay off school or work if you feel unwell.

"If you have 12 to 15-year-olds who have missed out on having their vaccine at school, you can book an appointment or take them to a walk-in at Churchill Square every day."

He also advised residents to reduce their close contacts and keep groups small, meet outside where possible, and take lateral flow tests before meeting others, socialising or going to crowded or enclosed spaces.

His comments come after Plan B restrictions to slow the spread of the virus were lifted earlier this week, including the legal requirements to work from home and to wear face coverings indoors.

In the week up to January 21, Brighton and Hove reported 2,718 new cases of the virus - up 4.5 per cent on the previous week.

This was equivalent to a weekly rate of 931.7 per 100,000 residents, lower than the average rate for England at 996, and for the South East region at 1052.8.

Councillor Sue Shanks, who chairs the health and wellbeing board, called on the public to get vaccinated to protect friends and family from getting seriously ill with the virus.

She said: "If you were put off by hearing about queues and busy clinics before Christmas, please know that there's plenty of walk-ins or slots to book, so you shouldn't have to wait very long."

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