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Good afternoon and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 94. As of today, we have a total of 1,849,403 positive cases of COVID-19 with 64,170 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 1,874 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 90 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 248 active cases in Waverley. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

Stop press…Surrey staying in Tier 2 Just before sending this email, the Health Secretary confirmed that Surrey will be staying in Tier 2 for now. Technically that could change on Wednesday but in practice this is unlikely to change before Christmas. Waverley’s numbers are some of the lowest in the County which is why I asked Michael Gove on Sunday to be sensitive to the impact of dragging us into Tier 3 so I am pleased he and others listened. You can remind yourself of the Alert Level Tier 2/Higher rules here ([link removed]) .

But bad news for London which is set to enter into Tier 3 restrictions as of Wednesday. The rules about travelling into and out of Tier 3 areas can be found here ([link removed]) but basically it should be avoided unless essential. This decision was taken because of an alarming increase in the figures seen in the past few weeks. Schools will of course remain open but not restaurants and hospitality apart from for take away. I asked the Health Secretary earlier today ([link removed]) if you can still go into London to do your Christmas shopping and whilst he stopped short of saying it was against the regulations the clear suggestion was that we should not.

Bad news about a new strain of the virus which scientists have now discovered which is more easily transmissible although no more deadly. But the vaccine is still expected to work on the new strain as the Health Secretary confirmed to me this afternoon ([link removed]) – although he did say we won’t know this for sure until the new strain is cultured and tested.

How about Christmas? The government still intends to relax the social distancing rules somewhat over the Christmas period – essentially saying you can meet with up to 3 different households. But it feels more and more like we will be discouraged from doing so. I think most people will be doing all they can to keep contact between families minimal - as will we. These are deeply personal decisions but if grandparents are going to get the vaccine in the next month or so many may opt to delay family festivities until the risk is eliminated. More on the rules around Christmas bubbles here ([link removed]) .

The key number to remember for anyone with pandemic-related difficulties remains 0300 200 1008 the Surrey Helpline run by Surrey County Council (Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm).

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

Deal or no deal? Well, the UK-EU deal deadline has passed, and it's been agreed to continue negotiations ([link removed]) which is excellent news. It seems that there has been an element of compromise from both sides in the past few hours and while the odds of a deal remain about 50/50 the mood around the talks is generally better. I have always been more optimistic than most that we will get a deal, but even my optimism has become strained in the last week. If both sides say it is about principal, compromise becomes harder. But there are reports in several papers that the EU has stepped back from demanded a ‘ratchet’ clause on new regulations which is an encouraging sign.

Meanwhile life goes on for Trade Secretary, Liz Truss who continues to sign roll-over trade deals across the world. A total of 57 deals have been signed worth over £190 billion worth of trade, with many of these deals going further than agreements we currently have under the EU.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

Hot meals on Christmas Day This year, the Right at Home team is offering a volunteer-led Christmas Lunch service to support elderly people who are on their own this Christmas. They aim to provide people with a Christmas lunch, delivered directly to their home on Christmas Day…how brilliant. What’s more it’s free and covers Farnham, Bordon, Guildford, Godalming, Fleet, Farnborough and surrounding areas. You can find out more here ([link removed]) .

Christmas joy spreading in Farnham thanks to local Churches who have organised for people to display stars in their windows during Advent. Join in by brightening up your front windows with a star, as big or small as you like, and use anything you or your kids have handy: paints, crayons, lights, glitter…for a bit of sparkle at the end of a year that has certainly needed it.

See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here ([link removed]) .

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

A new nuclear power station? Today the government published its new Energy Strategy white paper, which sets out specific steps to cut emissions from industry, transport and buildings and could create over 200,000 jobs. The policies should remove 230 million metric tonnes of emissions, which is equivalent to taking 7.5 million petrol cars off the road, the government says. Part of this will be achieved by constructing a new nuclear power plant in Suffolk; the BBC have a good write up here ([link removed]) . This will not be to everyone’s liking but we probably have little choice if we are serious about having a carbon neutral economy by 2050 or earlier.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

Life as a contact tracer An attractive BBC long read ([link removed]) on what it's like to be an NHS contact tracer. A tough job and worth a read to see what life is like at the other end of the phone we people are asked to self-isolate.

And finally, I had a lovely email over the weekend from one resident who has now received the first local vaccine and has a second appointment booked in for the new year…things are finally looking up.

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Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.

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