THE country stands at the “most critical juncture” since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Colchester’s MP Will Quince.

Mr Quince is calling on his constituents to remain steadfast in their following of Tier 4 restrictions ahead of the New Year.

He warned of capacity issues spreading from mid and south Essex hospitals to Colchester.

“We are at the most dangerous point in terms of NHS capacity,” he said.

“We know that across mid and south Essex there are now real issues in terms of capacity.

“Even in Colchester the situation is getting much worse, where in terms of Covid cases we have seen them double in the past week.

“The key is, and the call to action is, if we all want the NHS to be there for us our hospital has to have the capacity.

“If it is full of Covid patients on top of the regular pressures of winter, the risk is it won’t be there for us when we need it.

“We are taking patients from south Essex, but the numbers have still gone up significantly.”

Alongside a reminder of the importance of reducing the spread of Covid-19 by following repeated guidance, Mr Quince issued a stark warning to would-be rule breakers.

“This is a respiratory virus, it is spread largely by contact with other people,” he said.

“There are small ways in which we can reduce the spread, by reducing our social contact, following the Tier 4 rules and by staying at home as much as possible.

“Anyone thinking of having people over, or seeing friends and holding a party for New Year’s Eve, please think again.

“You will be putting yourself, your loved ones and the NHS at risk.

“We have come so far and people have had to make so many sacrifices over the best part of a year.

“Hope is now on the horizon.

“A vaccine is being rolled out as we speak at the hospital, if the Oxford vaccine gets the go-ahead there will be a plan to roll that out across the country.”

Mr Quince said he is determined to “reach the finish line” in the country’s bid to return to a degree of normality not seen since early 2020.

As minister responsible for welfare delivery, Mr Quince has witnessed first hand the economic devastation wrought by the pandemic.

“I have had direct responsibility for Universal Credit and I have seen demand go from 2.2 million to 5 million,” he said.

“I have seen with my own eyes the economic issues, people losing their jobs and we have had to support people through that.

“This has had a huge impact on health and wealth for so many people across the country.

“My heart goes out to anyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.”

He added: “We have just got to get there.

“We don’t want to fall at the final hurdle, we don’t want to stop and give up in the fight against this virus.

“The goal is in sight and we stand at the most critical juncture we have faced.”