Covid case rise sees public health board meeting plan dropped

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Rising Covid case numbers have been blamed for the decision to keep meetings online
At a glance
  • NHS Borders planned to have its first full in-person board meeting since the Covid pandemic began on Thursday
  • It had urged as many members of the public as possible to attend
  • A rise in Covid cases in the region means proceedings will instead remain online

Plans for the first full in-person health board meeting in the Borders in more than two years have been dropped due to a rise in Covid cases.

It had been hoped it could go ahead at Tweed Horizons near Newtown St Boswells on Thursday.

However, the health board has now decided it will have to be held online instead.

In a short statement it said the decision was due to rising numbers of people with Covid in the region.

Last week the health board said it was "very pleased" to be able to open up its meetings to the public again and urged people to come along to hear first-hand about its work.

It said their needs and views were "at the heart of the design and delivery of local health services".

An updated statement was put out on Tuesday to confirm the proceedings would have to remain online.

It said the decision had been taken in light of rising Covid cases in line with the rest of the country.