In his new monthly column, Frodsham MP Mike Amesbury reflects on the impact of a second lockdown

It doesn't seem long ago that Frodsham residents, friends and neighbours were having to endure a first lockdown, and here we are now living through a second one.

I cast my mind back to March and think of the fear, frustration and worry in the emails and phone calls that were coming in on a daily basis to my office.

Along with my small team, we handled literally thousands of cases during that worrying time and in the months that followed.

Fears for health, for business for family. Community solidarity, heeding the call to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives was admirable.

Volunteers, local businesses, the churches, our emergency services the town council and Cheshire West and Chester Council responded brilliantly to the needs of our community as the first lockdown started, as many of our most vulnerable residents even feared running out of food and medicine.

It was a worrying time. As the MP, my job has been to try get the government in the right place to deal with this public heath crisis, giving a voice to my constituents to help shape health, business, welfare and health responses to it.

Frustration

But now, it feels like during this second lockdown the prevailing feeling is one of frustration. Many of us rightly believed in March we were forgoing living our everyday lives in order to buy the government time.

Time to regroup, time to develop a reliable test, track and trace system which would – I believe – have allowed us to avoid this second lockdown. Sadly, that did not happen. Our money ended up in private pockets, but the resulting testing system was not fit for purpose.

So sadly, here we are again.

These types of restrictions have far-reaching implications. Our local businesses and companies are struggling. Frodsham is home to many unique businesses which have been built over the years, and it saddens me to see so many of them enduring such difficult times.

I continue to push the Chancellor to provide more support for those which have slipped through the cracks.

Impact on mental health

People are also missing their loved ones, missing the company of friends, of routine, of being part of their community. Frodsham is a close-knit town and I know many will be doing their best to ensure neighbours and those living alone have the support they need.

Local schools and staff are doing their utmost to provide an education in Covid-19 secure environments and care workers are providing compassionate support to vulnerable residents

In the medium and longer terms, I also fear for the impact on mental health, indeed my postbag suggests this is becoming a more prevalent issue. The Covid crisis will not last forever, and thankfully we know now that a vaccine may be with us in the spring.

Many families have lost loved ones, the pressures on our local hospitals and healthcare services is real and the infection rate is worrying high

The legacy of Covid could be far-reaching.

People are good at 'keeping calm and carrying on', we're good at pushing through in times of crisis, but when the dust settles many people will sadly, I believe, need mental and emotional support.

The government must bear this in mind and invest time, effort and importantly – money – in handling the fallout of this pandemic, or the ramifications may last far longer than the health crisis itself.