Along with many others on Thursday evening I went out to clap for our NHS and Care workers and on Tuesday evening at 8 o’clock I also went out to clap for Boris, this made me think more about the personal effects on so many people. I first thought of his partner Carrie and how she must be feeling both Boris and her unborn child. There are of course many other people both local to us and throughout the world who are feeling the consequences of this virus at a very personal level. It is all too easy for us just to think in terms of the numbers we see in the daily briefings.

Seeing someone like Boris affected enough for, at the time of writing, for him to have just spent a second night in intensive care shows how indiscriminate this virus is. Prior to being admitted Boris would have been seen as a healthy person and his admittance to hospital shows that this is not just something that affects the elderly or people with underlying health problems it has the potential to affect us all.

That is why we must follow the instructions on social distancing and stay two metres apart from each other. It is why we should wash our hands regularly for at least 20 seconds. It is why we should stay at home unless we are taking daily exercise, going for food going for medical supplies or going to work.

The message remains stay at home stay safe and protect our NHS.

This column originated for me to keep you informed about my Parliamentary activity and outside of the coronavirus there have actually been other significant happenings this week. As you will probably have seen we now have a new leadership of the Labour Party through Sir Kier Starmer who has now appointed his own shadow cabinet. One of the new members of this shadow cabinet is Rachel Reeves, Rachel used to chair the select committee for BEIS (business, energy and industrial strategy), which as I have told you previously I am a member of. I now await to see who will replace Rachel in the chair but it will be a Labour member as the select committees chairs are specifically allocated to each party.

Moving on to more local politics I would like to applaud Durham and Darlington Councils for their efforts in setting up the local help systems, call them on 03000 260 260 (Durham) and 01325 405000 (Darlington) if you need anything and they have both also been excellent at distributing funds to businesses, indeed Durham are in the top three counties in the country for funds issued.

I also thank each and everyone of you that has volunteered either to organisations or simply to help your extended family or neighbours or even just to do something to put a smile on someone else’s face, it all helps.

So to finish this week, please stay at home, stay safe and protect our NHS.

Paul Howell

Member of Parliament for Sedgefield