The chairman of Devon County Council has used 'Thank You Day' to issue a message of gratitude to everyone who has helped other people during the Covid pandemic – including all those who have simply obeyed the rules and kept infection rates low in this area.

John Hart said with the prospect of the restrictions easing, Sunday, July 4 was a chance to 'celebrate the spirit that got us through'.

He said: "We've all been through 15 of the most difficult months many of us will ever have experienced.

"Gradually we are beginning to live life again. But as we meet old friends we haven't seen for such a long time or raise a glass to Gareth Southgate, the national Thank You Day gives us an opportunity to pause and pay tribute to all those people who have got us to this place.

"Our thoughts obviously go to the front-line doctors and nurses who have borne the brunt of the pandemic and its terrible effects and all those working in the NHS who supported them.

"We say a massive thank you to our care staff who looked after the old and the vulnerable. And to our teachers and school staff who cared for our children.

"Then there are the people who enabled us to cope with the lockdowns just by carrying on doing their jobs – the supermarket staff, the delivery drivers, the refuse collectors – and so many others.

"Many of our own staff at Devon County Council – and in lots of other public organisations in the county – continued to do their jobs remotely from home, combining that with looking after children or relatives.

"And then there were the thousands of volunteers in our towns and villages who looked out for their neighbours and communities in so many different ways, delivering food, collecting prescriptions or just making sure they were OK. Often parish and town councils took the lead in helping to coordinate and support the volunteers in their communities and their support was invaluable.

"Hundreds of volunteers continue to support the NHS in our vaccination centres and – despite the effects of the Delta variation – have kept infection rates in Devon amongst the lowest in the country.

"They all deserve our heartfelt thanks. And I want to thank the vast majority of Devon citizens for abiding by the rules. I would urge them to continue to wash their hands, wear a mask when required and socially distance.

"Please self-isolate if you show symptoms and arrange a PCR test, self-isolate if you're identified as a contact and take a PCR test and take regular rapid lateral flow tests, twice a week, to identify if you are likely to be carrying the virus."