Monthly Update - December 21

Good afternoon and a very Happy New Year to you all.

As we welcome in 2022, return to work and reacclimatise ourselves with our daily routines, I do hope this finds you all safe and well and that you had a most relaxing and enjoyable Christmas break in good health too. For those amongst you who did unfortunately succumb to COVID over the Christmas period, I do hope the symptoms were mild and you were still able to partake in the festivities with your family and made a swift recovery.

I am sure we were all relieved (if not a little surprised) that the New Year celebrations were allowed to continue, and the threatened ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown was not imposed. I do believe the Government are endeavouring to steer us through a continuingly challenging and uncertain time as best they can with the economy and our mental wellbeing as seriously considered as concern over rising case numbers and pressure on NHS resources. At this time we must trust in their guidance and advice to ‘ride out’ this current wave as the best way forward.

As we remain fully operational it feels pertinent to respectfully remind you all that regular lateral flow testing remains imperative to keeping our work environments as free from COVID as we possibly can and therefore protecting both you and your colleagues. Vaccination status alone has proved insufficient in lessening the spread and so we must all remain responsible and play our part. I would therefore request weekly testing prior to your return to the office/site each Monday morning as a minimum, and suggest more regular testing if you are attending a large meeting or social event or generally in regular contact and close proximity to others. Please do report any confirmed cases directly to HR Manager Emily Barnes so we can maintain robust records as a business and responsible employer and follow all essential safety protocol. Alongside this please do continue to monitor your temperature on arrival each day, wear your mask as you feel appropriate for your own safety and continue to employ heightened hygiene measures. As always if you do have any ongoing questions or concerns please do raise these directly with you Line Manager or directly with Emily or myself.

Whilst the latest statistics may seem alarming, with confirmed daily cases at an all-time record high of 200,000, scientists and health advisors remain steadfastly confident that we are in a much better position than we were this time last year and at present NHS resources are thankfully not overwhelmed and the virus is lessoning in its impact. Almost two years on we must remain optimistic that we can and will overcome the pandemic and redouble our efforts to ensure we do so. Whilst I would always suggest we stay positive perhaps its opportune to change that focus on ‘Staying Negative’!

I will leave you now to catch up on all the latest news in our December Newsletter that rounds-up 2021 before we forge ahead with what is likely to be another rollercoaster of a year; - undoubtedly one that will continue to present new challenges to test our resilience but nonetheless one that I feel confident will be filled with many opportunities.

Please do continue to keep in touch with news from across your sites or any personal milestones and accomplishments and of course please do stay safe and well.

Kind regards

Martin Sandall

December 21 - Newsletter.pdf

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