AS LOCKDOWN restrictions are eased across the country, precautionary measures are being taken for a potential second outbreak of Covid-19.

Local outbreak action plans have been published by both Surrey and Hampshire county councils, outlining their readiness to control a spread of Covid-19 and manage any spike of infections.

Surrey County Council has been named as one of 11 ‘good practice’ areas across England, chosen to work together to share best practice in the development of plans.

It is hoped that localised lockdown in Surrey can be avoided, as long as people follow public health messages and comply with the NHS test and trace system.

Tim Oliver, leader of Surrey County Council, said: “It is imperative that all Surrey residents play their part and continue to follow public health advice and comply with NHS test and trace instructions, so we can prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep Surrey safe, and open.

“While this is new territory for everybody concerned, we have developed a comprehensive plan combining the expertise of public health, local government and advice from central government.

“We are forensically analysing the data to monitor infection rates locally to see if there is any spike in cases occurring.”

Hampshire County Council’s plan covers priority areas such as care homes and schools, high-risk places and vulnerable people.

The council has launched a Hampshire local outbreak engagement board to review recommendations by the director of public health, as well as overseeing engagement with the public in relation to local outbreaks.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Keith Mans, said: “As lockdown restrictions increasingly ease, it will be critical to ensure we have a robust mechanism in place to enable us to prevent the spread of the virus and move swiftly if it starts to take hold again – either in an individual setting such as a care home or school, or in a specific geographical location, such as a town centre.

“Our ambition is simple – to build on the progress made to date in controlling the spread of the virus, and to take decisive action should cases start to rise again.”

To read the plans, see surreycc.gov.uk and/or hants.gov.uk