Government launch television campaign urging people to stay at home

The national TV advert is centred around the impact of people’s actions and asks the public “Can you look them in the eyes and tell them you’re helping by staying at home?”

The campaign launches on ITV and Channel 4 this evening, Friday, January 22 with the aim of reminding the public of the impact of COVID-19 and the pressures facing frontline workers.

Government statistics show that currently over 38,000 beds are taken up in England by COVID-19 patients with someone admitted every 30 seconds with the virus, and a quarter of those are under the age of 55.

The new campaign features patients who have COVID-19, as well as the NHS staff at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.

The government are hoping that the campaign will challenge the public to question their actions and asks if they can look frontline workers in the eyes and tell them they are helping to stop the spread by following the rules and staying at home.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “The NHS is under intense pressure. They are relying on all of us to follow the rules.

“I know how long the last few months have felt, and I know the vast majority of people are following the rules, but we have come too far to let up now.

“Every day we are closer to beating this virus, and already over 5 million people across the UK have been vaccinated. But right now more than ever we need to stick together to protect our NHS and to keep saving lives."

Latest COVID-19 stats show the UK has seen the highest number of deaths recorded from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with over 1,000 people dying per day for the last 10 days.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty added:“The impact of the current wave is still putting significant pressure on hospitals across the country and many patients are very sick.

“Vaccines give clear hope for the future, but for now we must all continue to play our part in protecting the NHS and saving lives.”

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