Traffic levels are reducing as the county is staying at home to help beat the coronavirus outbreak, council bosses say.

Initial reports show that Essex residents are adhering to Government advice to stay at home and only go out for urgent trips. 

Essex County Council says, traffic data shows that on Tuesday March 25, the day after the Prime Minister’s announcement of more extreme measures, traffic was a down 53% compared to the same time last year.

This continued to increase throughout the week, reaching a 60% reduction compared to last year by Thursday, the last day for which current data is available.

With initial reports from Italy and Spain starting to show that, if adhered to rigorously, current measures can have an impact it’s more important than ever than we continue to observe government guidance so that our Country can see improvement in the coming weeks and months. 

However, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Kevin Bentley had a clear message for the County: “While it’s great to see such a reduction in travel, it’s critical that this continues to decrease, and that residents stay at home. Let’s ‘not forget that in Italy and Spain the restrictions were much more stringent, with permits required to leave home and a ban on exercise outside the home.”

An important reminder to Essex residents of just how critically important it is that we follow Government guidance and only leave home for one of four reasons:

-Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
-One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
-Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
-Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.