KEY workers in Somerset are calling on people not to let up so as to keep Covid-19 infection rates down during the last week of lockdown.

Heath and care workers, emergency worker, county council staff and Royal Navy personnel are backing a council and NHS initiative in the county.

The #MakeLockdownCountSomerset social media campaign is urging people to continue to follow the rules to keep everyone safe at a time when cases are rising across the county.

To join the campaign, send or tweet a selfie with the hashtag #MakeLockdownCountSomerset adding the 1,2,3 mantra – hands, face, space.

Somerset County Council leader Cllr David Fothergill said: "With only a few days left of national restrictions and with infection rates rising across the county, it’s really important that we remember this vital message, hands, face and space to drive infection rates down.

"Let’s work together to make sure we keep ourselves, our loved ones and our communities safe."

The authority's director of public health, Trudi Grant, said: "People in Somerset have been fantastic in following the guidelines and looking after their loved ones and wider community during the course of this pandemic.

"We know it’s a tough ask after so many months, but we’ve come so far it’s vital that we hang in there and make this lockdown count."

James Rimmer, chief executive at Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "We know that for many this second lockdown period is harder in many ways than the first.

"Over the last nine months we have had to adapt to new ways of working, new ways of connecting and learning to living in a different way.

"The mantra, hands, face, space, something unheard of until this year, has never been so important as we all try to keep ourselves, our loved ones and each other as safe as possible."

If you need coronavirus-related support from your councils, contact the Somerset Coronavirus Support helpline on 0300 7906275, open seven days a week from 8am to 6pm to help with food or medicines, emotional and financial support, and employment, skills and business advice.