As the House of Commons debates and votes on the Coronavirus restrictions for England, James said:
“Over the last few days I’ve had an intensive series of briefings with Health ministers, Public Health England, Norfolk’s Public Health Director, QEH’s Chief Executive, as well as the CEOs of the James Paget and Norfolk and Norwich hospitals to review and challenge the data and projections for Covid-19 across Norfolk. I have also spoken to the Prime Minister about the data and the restrictions.
The clear message has been that with increasing infection rates and hospital admissions if we don’t act now then our local hospitals would be unable to cope due to Covid-19 and winter pressures.
I wanted to avoid tougher controls as I know how painful they will be for individuals and business but I cannot ignore those warnings. Therefore I will reluctantly be voting in favour of national restrictions today on the basis that they are time limited and that furlough and other financial support is in place.
As unwelcome as these measures are, Norfolk goes into these controls from a low tier and by playing our part we can ensure we return to it after 2 December.”
