'Take a sensible approach in run up to Christmas' warns Berkshire West Director of Public Health
A woman who played a leading role in responding to the Novichok poisonings in Wiltshire has urged people to adopt a 'sensible approach' in the lead up to Christmas.
The Government's official line is that Christmas is not cancelled, but people are being urged to air on the side of caution with socialising.
Professor Tracy Daszkiewicz started her new role as the Director of Public Health for Berkshire West on 1 December. She previously worked as in the same role for the county of Wiltshire between 2017 and 2020, and played an instrumental role in dealing with the nerve agent poisonings in March 2018.
She also held the post of Consultant in Public Health at Wiltshire, and worked in Reading previously as a Public Health Strategist on sexual health.
Speaking to ITV Meridian about concerns surrounding Christmas and the new Onicron variant Professor Daszkiewicz said, "I think as the guidance has set out, at the moment we are still very much looking into Omicron, and how it operates. We do know that there is community spread now, but we don't know a lot more about it.
"So what we are looking into at the moment is how effective the vaccine is, and encouraging people to get their booster vaccine. But also to think about how we manage ourselves when we are out in public. Making sure we are wearing our masks, washing our hands as soon as we get home and taking those precautions that have been advised.
"The Omicron variant isn't asking us to do anything other that what we currently do today, so keeping up with those things is the priority at this stage.
"As we learn more about this particular strain of the virus, and how transmissible it is, until we know those details, obviously Covid has been with us for many months now, and we do know a lot more about the virus, but each new variant needs a new level of understanding, so we can give the most specific advice on that.
"Until we've got those details we always air on the side of caution, because that's a much safer approach to ensure we maintain the health of our population.
"The guidance at the moment is that you don't need to cancel Christmas. I think you can take a very sensible approach in the build-up to Christmas. So making sure you stay away from crowded places, keeping yourself safe, wearing a mask when you're out in public, and staying in well-ventilated places - all of these things will help keep you healthy.
"If you are having family gatherings, take an LFT test if you've got symptoms, and if you test positive, do stay home. Do not take your infection into family and friends.
"We would be expecting this of any infectious disease.
"If you have a cold or flu or Norovirus, you would take the same precautions, you wouldn't take an infectious disease into a household with your family and friends, so it's no different."
Professor Daszkiewicz previously worked as the Director of Public Health in Wiltshire. She played a leading role in responding to the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury and Amesbury in March 2018.
She added, "What's happened throughout Covid has been a whole system approach, so the NHS working with public health colleagues, working with police colleagues, educations, our health services right across the country.
"Sharing information and learning as we go is the best thing we can do.
"With each new stage of this pandemic we need to take what we have learned from the previous stage and take that forward with us. Absolutely everything that is being done."