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As you are no doubt aware, last night the Prime Minister announced new measures to reduce our day-to-day contact with other people and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
We all need to comply with the three new measures to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the NHS.
Stay at home.Only leave your home:
For shopping for basic necessities including food and medicine, but must be as infrequent as possible
For any medical need like going to the doctor or hospital, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
To travel to and from work but only where this is absolutely necessary, and when you cannot work from home.
Keep your distance - stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people and wash your hands as soon as you get home.
We can leave our homes once a day for exercise, but we must do so alone or with members of our household.Separate advice is available for individuals or households who are isolating, and for the most vulnerable who need to be shielded.
Leader of the Council,
Cllr Danny Thorpe
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Changing the way we live and interact with one another
All social events have been stopped including weddings, baptisms and other religious ceremonies.
Funerals will continue and can be attended by immediate families only.
The Government has advised that all shops selling non-essential goods to be shut with immediate effect.
The relevant authorities, including the police, will be given the powers to enforce the new measures including through fines and dispersing gatherings.
Volunteering
A huge thank you to everyone who has registered their interest in helping with the COVID-19 volunteering effort.
Over 1,300 people have signed up to date!You should have received an email last night from Royal Greenwich confirming next steps including a link to register on our new Volunteer Hub.
This second step in the process will help us verify your ID to ensure we keep everyone safe and get the people with the right skills and abilities to those most in need.In the meantime, please bear with us as we work through this process, and if you haven’t already done so please register your interest online through the new Volunteer Hub.
Queen Elizabeth Hospital & University Hospital Lewisham
To keep patients and staff safe, visitors are no longer allowed to any of the adult inpatient wards. Family members are asked to keep in touch via telephone or video calls where possible. Read more on the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust website.
Schools
Around 800 children of critical workers attended school yesterday. A huge shout out to the teachers and support staff throughout the borough for making this happen.
Parks and outdoor spaces
All playgrounds, adventure play centres, outdoor gyms, sports courts and skateparks are closed from today. We know these are important spaces but these closures are needed to help protect our communities.
Our parks continue to be open, but remember no gatherings of more than two people in public and make sure you stay at least two metres apart.
Transport update
Please do not travel unless your journey is absolutely essential. TfL is operating special services across all lines. Check www.tfl.gov.uk Advice for businesses
The closure order relating to businesses in the hospitality sector is a further blow to our local economy and we appreciate the impact this will have on business owners and their staff.
The Government has made a number of announcements about the support package for businesses and their staff. We are working closely with the Government on the process for ensuring support is made available as quickly as possible. Further details will be published on our website as soon as they are made available and will also be promoted via the business e-alerts. Sign up to business e-alerts.
Our survey on the impact of COVID-19 on local businesses closes on Friday 27 March. Help inform our understanding of your business support needs by clicking here to complete the survey.
Protecting our most vulnerable residentsLetters are being sent by the government to 1.5 million people in Britain with serious health conditions telling them to stay at home for 12 weeks and shield themselves. This will help reduce infection, slow the spread of the disease and protect themselves, their family, friends, carers and ultimately the NHS.
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The most vulnerable include people who have received organ transplants, people undergoing treatment for certain cancers and those with cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe COPD.
Everyone else should continue to follow health advice and adhere to social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly those people who are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus.
This group includes those who are: aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions); those who are pregnant; and under 70 with an underlying health condition.Until the government and PHE have more information, take paracetamol to treat the symptoms of coronavirus, unless your doctor has told you paracetamol is not suitable for you. There is currently no strong evidence that ibuprofen can make COVID-19 worse.
The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are a new, continuous cough and/or high temperature ( 37.8 degrees and above).
If you have these symptoms, however mild, stay at home and do not leave your house for 7 days from when your symptoms started.
Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
You do not need to contact NHS 111 to tell them you're staying at home.
Testing for COVID-19 is not needed if you're staying at home.
If you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms.
If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days.
If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days, contact NHS 111 online . If you have no internet access, you should call NHS 111. For a medical emergency dial 999.
Guidance on COVID-19 in community languages , Easy Read and BSL resourcesGuidance for households with possible COVID-19 in different languages Doctors of the World coronavirus information
BSL video on social distancing and self-isolation
BSL videos by the charity Sign Health
Easy Read information on coronavirus Encourage your friends & family to keep informed by signing up to receive these updates (if they haven't already done so)
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