All Covid-19 news on one page
25/3/2020 Thames Valley Police update
25/3/2020
We understand that the new Government measures will undoubtedly have a major impact on you all and whilst this is difficult, it is a necessary adjustment. This is about protecting yourselves, each other and the emergency services working hard to keep you safe.
We ask you all to please take notice of the new direction from government and stay at home to help the national effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Thames Valley Police will, as always, police with respect and engagement and we will continue our day to day policing and we will be working with our communities so they understand the importance of complying with the government direction.
We continue to follow government, Public health England and the National Police Chief’s Council’s direction in the fight against Coronavirus.
We have tried and tested contingency plans in operation to enable us to continue to protect the most vulnerable in society and respond to where the need is most.
All precautions are being taken in order to protect our officers and staff so that we continue to police the Thames Valley.
Thank you for your support.
We will continue to share updates on social media and through Thames Valley Alerts. For more information on Coronavirus, you may want to visit the following sites:
- NHS advice – How to avoid catching or spreading germs and when to seek medical help
- PHE advice – Daily updates, signs and symptoms, current risk level
- Government updates – Daily updates on the outbreak
Wokingham Community Hub is now open
25/3/2020
The Wokingham Borough Community Hub is now open to provide food, toiletries and other essentials to people in Wokingham borough who need them. Wokingham Borough Council is working with local charities to provide a community wide response to help vulnerable people during the Covid-19 crisis.
The community hub will be providing food parcels, toiletries and other essentials to anyone in the borough who is vulnerable, isolated or elderly, and to families in need.
If you are in need of support, contact Citizen’s Advice on 0300 330 1189 (entering 0118 978 7258 if prompted) Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Or visit http://citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk/coronavirus/ and complete the online form.
Find out more about the community hub at https://www.facebook.com/wokinghamcommunityhub/
The community hub needs your donations: please donate any extra food, toiletries and other essentials by dropping them off at our no contact drop off centre at St Crispin’s Leisure Centre, London Road, Wokingham, Monday to Saturday 08.30-16.30.
20/4/2020 – new donation collection centres:
- Lower Earley Library
- Twyford Library
- Woodley Library
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10.00-12.00. (Please note no library service).
Please always check the Wokingham Borough Community Hub Facebook page for the latest information.
Alternatively, monetary donations can be made via its Just Giving Page.
The council is working with Involve Community Services, Citizens Advice, Wokingham Volunteer Centre, The Link Visiting Scheme, First Days, Wokingham Foodbank, Age UK Berkshire, Local Churches and others.
All Wokingham Borough and Woodley Town Council play parks are now closed
In line with UK government guidance regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, all Wokingham Borough Council and Woodley Town Council owned play areas are now closed.
Gates have been secured and signage erected. Please observe the Government instruction NOT to use these play areas.
We appreciate your support with this matter and encourage our residents to stay home and stay safe, following the UK Government guidelines.
re3 recycling and waste centres are now closed
re3 Recycling Centres in Bracknell and Reading are now closed following new guidelines of strict restrictions on movement and to help reduce the Covid-19 spread.
Statement from the facilities:
This decision has not been taken lightly but we must now all play our part and stay home to save lives and protect the vulnerable, elderly and the NHS.
Please maximise your kerbside collections and hold on to any inert waste you may have. We’ll be reviewing this decision after the initial three-week period of lockdown.
We are grateful for your understanding and please keep follow us for any further updates, check the updates via re3cyclopedia app or on the website www.re3.org.uk
Statement from John Halsall, leader of Wokingham Borough Council on COVID-19
“We are living in the shadow of Covid-19, an unprecedented international, national and local emergency.
Already many people are suffering from Coronavirus and people have died across the country. Tragically, this will increase significantly over the coming weeks. We must face that reality without self-deception: this is the greatest challenge the country has faced since the Second World War.
However, it is a challenge for which we have prepared. We have well established emergency plans in place with our Public Health colleagues. Our technology is robust; our staff are resilient and determined to provide the services people rely on. We are meeting daily to oversee response and are working closely with our partners and providers.
Our response will be defined by kindness, professionalism and robustness. It will be focussed on those who most need our support and on providing the essential services that nobody else can offer. We are fortunate in Wokingham Borough that we have communities that will, with our support, take care of each other and it has been inspiring (although I would say not surprising) to see how people have rallied to support neighbours and to join community and voluntary sector groups to help.
The situation is moving quickly but the two constants we have kept are to follow expert advice and to fulfil the duty of care we have to all in our communities.
Our statutory duties are wide-ranging, from the children we look after as a corporate parent, to older people in care homes, and from maintaining safe highways to collecting your waste and recycling. My commitment is that, while the way we fulfil these duties will change in the months ahead, and we may have to reduce some in order to prioritise others, we will always be here for those most in need and will continue to serve you with all our endeavours.
So, today, I am setting out our eight-point pledge to residents:
1. We will deliver our statutory health responsibilities for all: With our partners, we will do all we can within our joint resources to protect the health and wellbeing of everybody living and working in the borough.
2. We will target our efforts on those who are at greater risk from coronavirus: By careful planning and through redeploying resources when necessary, we will support high risk groups (such as the elderly, those with pre-existing long term conditions and pregnant women). This will include working with our local hospitals to support transfers of care, by supporting providers of social care, and ensuring other vulnerable groups are assisted through our social care services.
3. We will be there for other key vulnerable groups to reduce inequalities: Self-isolation and the inevitable disruption to lives that Coronavirus is bringing will lead to an increase in safeguarding and vulnerability issues. We are aware of those at risk (including the homeless, those who use food banks, those at risk of domestic abuse and those with existing multiple and complex needs) and are working closely with providers and voluntary organisations to be vigilant and mitigate the threats.
4. We will co-ordinate the community’s response: Our people are strong, compassionate and keen to help and our hundreds of voluntary groups are committed to supporting all communities.What they need is coordination, which is what we can provide. We are bringing together our community organisation partners to offer a joined up way for people to volunteer and a single point of contact for those who need help. Our teams will continue to work in communities, in partnership with the police, other providers and the voluntary sector to maintain community safety.
5. We will support our businesses: This pandemic will hit our economy just as it will all those around the globe. We await details of the Government’s financial support package but welcome its unprecedented scope and will play our role in administrating and communicating to businesses. Furthermore we will consider what measures can be put in place for those who are clearly struggling. We will work with business groups, our business tenants and the Local Enterprise Partnership on the best way to shield them from the shock waves Coronavirus is spreading.
6. We will care for our staff and continue to serve the community: We are implementing carefully made plans to deliver home working across all services thanks to our robust IT systems. Services will be delivered differently and some will be reduced in order to prioritise. But the council is here for you.
7. Capture financial and organisational impact: Wewillcollate financial impact of additional burdens and loss of income for services to reduce organisational risk, and the impact of decisions taken by other organisations such as transport providers.
8. We will keep you informed: We have a comprehensive and regularly updated webpage www.wokingham.gov.uk/coronavirus and will use social media and other channels to issue very regular updates on this plan and our delivery of it.
In practice, all this will mean difficult decisions. We have already taken some, such as the decision to postpone those public council meetings that cannot go ahead in alternative formats until suitable arrangements can be made. We are seeking technological solutions as swiftly as possible because democracy must continue.
I know there will be people struggling at this time – either with the strain of self-isolation or illness, or through the financial problems it is creating. Please do not suffer in silence: we have worked with the voluntary sector to create a single point of contact for all those in need of community support. This is through the CAB and can be reached on 0300 330 1189 (if prompted enter 0118 978 7258) or by emailing admin@citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk .
I would like to end with a note of optimism, a vital commodity even in these difficult times. We have had an unprecedented response from people wanting to volunteer. The most basic thing we can do is to look after each other – if there are people self-isolating or vulnerable groups living near you, put a note through their door to offer help. Or, if you are fit and well and have any time to spare, please contact one of our community and voluntary sector groups that we are working with to provide support.
If you want to help but don’t know where to go, contact the Wokingham Volunteer Centre at www.volunteerwokinghamborough.org.uk”.
Woodley Town Centre
In response to the latest UK government advice regarding Coronavirus, the Woodley Town Centre Manager,Brian Fennelly has issued a statement:
“Woodley Town Centre Management has been actively reviewing all their planned events. As a result we have cancelled a number of events including the Classic Car Show. The VE 75th anniversary and the Children’s Fun Day.
After carefully considering the Government advice on social distancing and in view of the fact that the Car Boot Sale normally attracts a relatively small number of people I decided to let the Car Boot Sale go ahead.
However, with the situation changing daily I have now taken the decision to cancel all future Car Boot Sales until further notice.”
To stay up to date with the Town Centre, please click HERE.
Coronavirus Update 5 March 2020
Latest advice and information as at 5 March 2020
Please stay up to date on our dedicated Coronavirus Page
Please use the following links;
The following information and advice has been issued by Wokingham Borough Council.
Follow the Public Health England advice to:
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently using soap and water – this is the best way to kill the virus.
Catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue, and then throw it away.
If you have questions about coronavirus, Covid-19 and your health – such as what the symptoms are and how to stop it spreading – then you should refer to the NHS website for information.
If you have questions about the situation – such as the number of cases and where they are, and what countries are affected – then you should refer to the Public Health England (PHE) website for information.
We’ve received a number of questions about what it means if you have had contact with someone who is then required to be self-isolating. Here’s an update from David Munday, the lead Public Health Consultant for Berkshire:
“Covid-19 is like most coronaviruses and we think primarily spreads from person to person via respiratory droplets, for example when someone coughs or sneezes. You catch it from someone who is showing symptoms. That’s why the most important advice is to catch your cough or sneeze in a tissue, and to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.”
“Self-isolating is another word for quarantine. It means staying in-doors and away from other people to avoid spreading the virus. You only need to self-isolate if you have been in contact with someone who is confirmed to have Covid-19 and have been told to by Public Health England or the NHS. You don’t need to self-isolate if you have been in contact with someone else who had contact with the confirmed case. For example, Willow Bank Infant School had a confirmed case. Staff and children who were in contact with the person have been asked to self-isolate. But if you visited the school, played with other children or talked to a parent – even if they had contact with the confirmed case – you don’t need to self-isolate.”
Summary
Someone has a confirmed case of Covid-19 – Isolated in hospital and treated
Someone had contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 while that person was having symptoms – PHE will assess how much contact there was and ask the person to self-isolate / monitor closely for symptoms.
Someone had contact with a person who in turn has had contact with a confirmed case (but has no symptoms and is not a confirmed case themselves) – No action needed – no contact with a confirmed case
Rest of population – No action needed – no contact with a confirmed case
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