Today’s update includes
- Updates, Requests and Offers from the Stroud Coronavirus Community Response team and beyond
- Summary of local news
- Key national/international points
Updates from the Stroud Coronavirus Community Response team and beyond
- We now have over 4,000 members of our Facebook group. Thanks to every member for contributing to the posts and helping us to build our https://neighbournetworks.uk website from your suggested content.
- We shared a major request for seasonal farm workers to help pick and pack fruit and vegetable across the UK. There is a shortage of workers due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
- As well as our Local Business Directory we now have a Local Services Directory! Please complete our questionnaire to be added. We are particularly looking for people who are emergency maintenance/repair folk like plumbers/gas engineers etc. The form allows you to list a price for services – we are not expecting everyone to volunteer
- If you have an annexe or liveable summer house you can offer or you need to move (to keep someone/yourself safe) please join the Stroud housing offers and requests Facebook group
- If you would like to offer or receive (or both) some talking/listening time please join the Stroud Co-listening in Coronavirus Times Facebook group and introduce yourself and what you’d like to offer and/or receive.
Local updates
- “Another eight people have died in Gloucestershire hospitals since Sunday after testing positive for coronavirus.”
- “It brings the total number of deaths in the county to 39 while the number of patients testing positive for coronavirus in Gloucestershire is now 306, up from the 281 on Sunday.” (Gloucestershire Live article)
- 138 undergraduate students nurses from the University of Gloucestershire “will be helping hospitals and other NHS services in the county in the current COVID-19 outbreak” (Stroud News and Journal)
- “NHS staff-only bays have been created on certain roads in Cheltenham near Cheltenham General Hospital while employees can apply for a parking permit at Gloucester Railway Station’s car park. And the shuttle bus service which links the county’s two main hospitals, the 99, will now also serve Cheltenham Spa Railway station as of today (April 6). The local NHS said free car parking around Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital “will make a big difference“. (Gloucestershire Live)
- Gloucester City Football Club “are facing a fight to survive after being badly hit by the coronavirus outbreak… Co-chairman Alex Petheram has told fans that the club have forecast that they will lose £110,400 as a result of the crisis that has left them with no games.”
National:
- More than 5,000 people have now died after testing positive for covid-19.
- “As of 9am 6 April, 252,958 tests have concluded, with 13,069 tests on 5 April (excl. Northern Ireland). 208,837 people have been tested of which 51,608 tested positive. As of 5pm on 5 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus 5,373 have died.” (Department of Health and Social Care tweet)
- This means there were 3,802 new cases confirmed yesterday, and 439 people died.
- The UK is now the country with the 4th highest number of people who have died, behind only France (8,911), Spain (13,169), and Italy (16,523)
- Boris Johnson was admitted to hospital, and then moved to intensive care (BBC News)
- “Social distancing measures “are working” and have slowed coronavirus-related hospital admissions. Professor Dame Angela McLean said the growth in admissions “is not as bad as it could have been” had the lockdown not been put in place.”
- Foreign Secretary Prime Minister [Dominic] Raab said planning for the end of the lockdown was taking place, but added: “The risk right now is if we take our focus off the strategy, which is beginning to work, we won’t get through this peak as soon as we want to.” He also said that “Boris Johnson remained “in charge”” (above from Guardian UK liveblog)
- Based on 500 reports so far from 193 hospital trusts and GP practices, the Doctors Association UK says that: 72% of doctors cannot get hold of an FFP3 mask when they need one, 77% report shortages of long-sleeved gowns, 43% cannot always use a visor or goggles when they need them (Guardian report)
- “Debenhams on brink of collapse as bosses prepare to appoint administrators, affecting 22,000 jobs” (ITV news)
Global:
Summary
- Worldwide cases pass 1.3m, at least 73,000 people have died and 275,000 recovered
- There are over 350,000 cases in the US
- Germany is the fourth country to have over 100,000 confirmed cases (101,558), after Italy (132,547), Spain (135,032) and the US (352,546, all above from Johns Hopkins University tracker)
- Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, tweeted about domestic violence: “Peace is not just the absence of war. Many women under lockdown for #COVID19 face violence where they should be safest: in their own homes. Today I appeal for peace in homes around the world. I urge all governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to the pandemic.” [we have resources about local and national support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence collated in a facebook post]
- Austria: “became the first EU country to publicly announce plans to lift its restrictions. “The aim is that from April 14 … smaller shops up to 400 square metres, as well as hardware and garden stores, can open again, under strict security conditions,” the chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, said”
- Denmark: “announced plans to start reopening nurseries and primary schools from 15 April if the number of Covid-19 deaths and new cases remain stable.”
- Germany: “reported its its fourth consecutive daily drop in cases”
- Spain: “reported a fourth consecutive fall in its daily death tally as well as falls in hospital admissions and critical care cases… the government announced on Monday that it is planning to widen coronavirus testing to include people without symptoms, as a first step towards slowly easing the lockdown”
- Norway: “said it considered its outbreak “under control” but cautioned it was too early to say if restrictions could be lifted.”
- South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, “called for unity and a massive aid effort”, as 51 African countries reported 9,198 cases of Covid-19 and 414 deaths.
- Iran: appears to have started a “gradual” decline in infections, the government said.
- Indonesia: “recorded its biggest daily jump in cases, with 218 confirmed on Monday”
- Russia: “recorded its biggest daily jump with 954 new cases of the disease.”
- Japan: “announced a record 148 new cases on Sunday” (all above from The Guardian European/Global summary)
Please remember we have a (growing) list of resources to support your emotional and mental health during this time on our website.
Thankyou to everyone who contributed to this update via our Facebook group.