The NHS and public health leaders in Hertfordshire are urging people to ‘play their part’ and stay at home this New Year and coming months.

While New Years Eve is often a time for lavish celebrations and events, the public is being asked to obey Tier 4 Covid restrictions and stay at home as Covid patients soar and strain NHS resources.

Currently frontline staff at Watford General Hospital and other West Hertfordshire hospitals have been asked to postpone their annual leave where possible as they need “urgent help” dealing with the influx of Covid-19 and other patients.

And NHS staff at West Hertfordshire hospitals have been told there are more Covid patients at the hospital than in the peak of Spring this year.

Beds occupied at west Hertfordshire hospitals has increased significantly over the last two months, with latest NHS data showing a peak of 180 beds occupied by Covid patients on December 21. There were also 371 beds occupied by non-Covid patients on the same day – making a total of 551 beds occupied.

Tracey Carter, chief nurse at the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Sadly we are seeing too many people coming into hospital with Covid-19, more now than in the Spring. Please don’t let you or your friends and family be one of them. 

“Staff are already working flat out to look after patients and keep services running - but we can’t do this by ourselves. We need everyone in Hertfordshire to do their bit and do the right thing by staying at home wherever possible.  If you do go out, wash your hands, keep your distance, cover your face, and spend as little time as possible out of your home.”

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Darryl Keen, Hertfordshire’s chief fire officer and strategic lead of the countywide response to Covid-19, said: “If your plans for New Year’s Eve involve anything other than staying in, you need to put them on hold.  Right now, the only way of protecting yourself and your family is to minimise the amount of time you spend outside your home. 

“We should be under no illusions – the situation we are in right now is extremely serious.  I urge you to think of others, including those working hard to treat people in our hospitals, and play your part.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary have also recently pleaded that people adhere to the rules, saying officers are poised to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to anyone who chooses to organise or attend a mass gathering.

And in reaction to the current sacrifices NHS staff have been asked to make over the coming month, Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: "So many of us have been working hard to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed but unfortunately the virus is spreading very quickly in our town.

“Everyone needs to do their bit to help NHS staff who are working flat out. It is essential that household bubbles do not mix, if we are to prevent the local NHS being overwhelmed.”

With one in three people carrying Covid-19 without showing any symptoms, and a new, more infectious strain of the virus in circulation, the need to observe the government guidance has never been greater. 

The impact of ‘long Covid’ also puts a strain on families who can find it challenging providing ongoing care to sufferers. Around 10 per cent of mild coronavirus cases who were not admitted to hospital have reported symptoms lasting more than four weeks, and some hospitalised cases reported continuing symptoms for eight weeks or more following discharge.