Mayors join together to promote ‘Stay Local’ message

THE Mayors of Derry/Strabane and Donegal have joined together in calling for compliance and for people on both sides of the border to act responsibly and to adhere to the restrictions in place by staying local.

The message comes as the weather is set to improve over the weekend and various restrictions have been lifted. The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Brian Tierney and his counterpart in Donegal County Council An Cathaoirleach Cllr Rena Donaghey have warned that figures for COVID 19 remain relatively high in both region.

And they say its imperative the public don’t become complacent and do all they can to curb the spread of the Corona Virus across the North West region.

The two Mayors have urged people in Derry/Strabane and Donegal to adhere to the guidelines introduced by the respective governments on both sides of the border.

They said that while they appreciated there was apathy out there among the public it was important people understood the virus is here and is still spreading.

Mayor Tierney warned that restrictions were being lifted at different stages on both sides of the border and the roll out of the vaccination programme were at varying levels and therefore it is imperative that the public continue to follow the public health guidance by staying local and adhering to social distancing guidance.

An Cathaoirleach Rena Donaghey appealed to the people of the North West to be responsible at this critical juncture saying it was important that we continue with small cautious steps so that we can look forward to positive and better times ahead.

In a joint statement the Mayors said: “We fully understand how difficult the past year has been for everyone. We have been separated from our loved ones, prevented from paying our respects to our dead and restrictions placed on our social interactions.

“Unfortunately the rate of infection in both our Council areas continues to cause us concern.

“We are seeing some of the restrictions being lifted and steps taken to allow us to return to some level of normality.

“However, we are appealing to the people of Derry, Strabane and Donegal to continue to give us your support by staying local, avoiding unnecessary journeys and visits to beauty spots outside of your area and to continue to reduce your social contacts. By working together we can hopefully look forward to a brighter future.

“We are seeing some great progress in terms of the roll out of the vaccination programme and the reduced number of people being hospitalised or dying from the virus however we cant become complacent and need to be aware of new variants and the fact the virus is out there and being transmitted through our communities.

“If you are out and about this weekend enjoying the sunny weather then please keep your guard, stay local and reduce the number of people you interact with.

“Always social distance and remember to wash your hands, wear a face covering and be respectful of others so we can get through this together.

“By taking these steps and acting responsibly we can all play our part in preventing the spread of the virus across our region.”

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