Track and Trace

I keep hearing the phrase ‘the new normal’ - I may even be guilty of using it myself a few times. Each week we are presented with another example of what it may look like.

Locally, we had a very good demonstration this week as BAE detected a case of coronavirus in one of the contractors working on site.

Immediately the system which they have built, in concert with Cumbria’s Director of Public Health and the MoD, rumbled into action.

The individual was isolated.

Local track and trace teams were notified within hours of the positive result, with co-workers already isolating at this point.

The residence where the individual was staying was notified, and the public health team in the local authority where they originally came from was informed.

None of this would have been possible without the substantial and universal testing regime which BAE have put in place around the shipyard.

Their pro-activity has been striking but has also been borne out of raw practicality: how do you get nearly 10,000 people back to work safely when we don’t have a covid vaccine?

The answer is with an abundance of caution and care for not just those workers, but for the town and community which they are based in and rightly feel a responsibility for.

I’m looking forward to visiting BAE myself shortly for the first time since the pandemic began and will be taking a coronavirus test myself before being allowed to enter the site at their request.

This level of care should be praised and, while I don’t look forward to yet another swabbing, I’m more than happy to do so to ensure that I don’t unwittingly carry the virus into the yard, and again into our community.

Summer holidays

I’m away this week on holiday myself - taking a break with my family in (sometimes) sunny Scotland and sacrificing myself to the midges.

With a four-year-old and one not-even-a-year-old in tow, I shall not be getting that much rest, but it is still good to get away (rest assured though, my office is open and running throughout).

With more and more of us looking to local breaks given the uncertainty of coronavirus rates in foreign countries, it is also worth remembering just what we have on our doorstep.

Taking a holiday does not mean travelling far.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been doing some work with Cumbria Tourism to promote some of our great local assets, which it is often easy to forget are on our doorstep.

During the school holidays, as Mrs Fell and I balance childcare and work, we’ve enjoyed a trip up the Hoad as a good distraction and had a great, albeit rainy, picnic at Furness Abbey last week.

We’re remarkably lucky to live in this place, so close to the Lakes but with our own unique places to visit, from Piel to Seathwaite Tarn.

On the subject of holidays, a number of constituents have been in touch about air-bridges and whether their holiday overseas is secure.

I can’t offer any assurances - travelling during a pandemic is risky at best. But if you are determined to try, make sure that you have adequate travel insurance at the very least.

The government has published some clear guidance for those thinking of venturing overseas, which I recommend reading: www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

Regardless of whether you plan to travel or not, I do hope you manage a break.

These have been a difficult few months for us all - getting some space and clearing your head is worth it.

Summer surgery tour

Of course, the highlight of everyone’s summer holiday will surely be the opportunity to meet your MP on the road for his inaugural Summer Surgery Tour. Stop laughing at the back!

I’m really looking forward to what I hope will be an annual tradition - spending a week on the road, travelling to every corner of Barrow & Furness and hearing your thoughts and views.

There’s no need to book an appointment - just turn up and say hello. We’ll also have our litter-pickers with us, so if we have any quiet stops we can at least leave the place in better shape than when we arrived.

To find out where the team and I will be, visit www.simonfell.org/surgery2020.