Categories
Updates

Friday 29th May 2020

Today’s update includes:

  • Requests & Offers from the Stroud Coronavirus Community Response team & beyond
  • Summary of key local, national and international news

Requests, Offers and Updates

Summary of key local, national and international news

We are now providing our main summary of local, national and international statistical data on a weekly basis rather than daily

Local

  • “In Gloucestershire, the latest total of coronavirus-related deaths has grown to more than 500 but unlike in most areas of the country, the number of deaths in care homes is higher than the number recorded in hospitals… Between the start of the outbreak and May 15, there have been 533 deaths across Gloucestershire involving Covid-19.”
  • “Of those deaths, 243 took place in hospital, but nearly half (47 per cent) were in care homes, a total of 253. There were also 23 deaths recorded at home, six in hospices, five in other communal establishments, and three elsewhere.” (Gloucestershire Live)
  • “In a press briefing earlier today, Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales, revealed that people in the nation can now travel five miles to meet another household in an outdoor area.” But the First Minister also explicitly said that people should not visit Wales from England at this time.

National

  • The BBC has a useful summary of new lockdown measures – key points are summarised below:
    • “From Monday in England, you will be able to meet in groups of up to six people from different households outside – either in parks or now also in private gardens – as long as you remain 2m (6ft) apart.”
    • “No changes were announced to the rules on exercise, playing sport or travel in the prime minister’s press conference on Thursday. There is no longer any limit to the amount of time you can spend outside doing exercise, or in “open-air recreation” like sunbathing in England”
    • “People who can work from home in England should continue to do so “for the foreseeable future”. But the government says those who can’t, should travel to their workplace if it is open – and walk, cycle or drive if at all possible, to prevent overcrowding on public transport.”
    • “If you’re a cleaner or plumber, and need to enter someone else’s home for your job, you are allowed to return to work. No work should be carried out in the home of someone shielding or isolating because of Covid-19 symptoms, unless it’s a household emergency. In homes where someone is clinically vulnerable – for example, where a person is aged over 70 – face-to-face contact should be avoided, and strict hygiene rules followed.”
    • “House moves and viewings can resume again in England.”
    • “The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential journeys, and the government has now said a two-week quarantine period for people arriving in the UK will be introduced “as soon as possible”.”
    • “Childminders and nannies in England have now been told they can return to work – but only if they’re caring for youngsters who come from the same household.”
    • “All non-essential retailers – from department stores to small independent shops – can reopen in England from 15 June, if they put in place social distancing measures. And outdoor markets and car showrooms can reopen from 1 June, if they are “Covid-secure. But the government has said these dates could change if coronavirus infection rates increase.”
    • “Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels, cinemas and places of worship will open from 4 July at the earliest, as long as they can meet social distancing measures.”
    • “In England, pupils in nurseries, early years and Reception and Years 1 and 6 at primary schools will be able to return from 1 June [Monday]. Class sizes are expected to be no more than 15 pupils, with staggered breaks and frequent hand washing.”
  • “The Government launched its tracing system in England on Thursday with the help of the newly hired 25,000 contact tracers, however the accompanying app to go with the programme has been delayed by several weeks.”
  • “Relaxing lockdown is a risk because levels of the coronavirus are still at “very high” levels, one of the government’s top science advisers says. Prof John Edmunds said it was a “political decision” to lift lockdown and that “many” scientists would wait.” (BBC News)
  • “The minutes of 34 Sage sessions… have been released alongside a series of scientific reports.” (going back to 22 January, BBC News)
  • Dominic Cummings potentially broke lockdown rules, say police but no further action to be taken
  • The Financial Times reports that “The UK has suffered the highest rate of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic among countries that produce comparable data, according to excess mortality figures.”
  • The Independent SAGE group held a press conference – we shared the video to our group (this is a different group of scientific experts to the government’s own SAGE advisory group, convened by Former Government Chief Scientific Advisory Sir David King).
  • The Independent SAGE argue that the “Government [are] failing to follow advice of own SAGE group in opening schools June 1”

International

  • New York governor Andrew Cuomo said he would sign an executive order allowing businesses to deny entry to customers not wearing masks. He said: “That store owner has a right to protect himself … You don’t want to wear a mask, fine. But you don’t have a right to then go into that store if that storeowner doesn’t want you to.” (The Guardian – video)
  • “The US has passed 100,000 deaths in the coronavirus outbreak in less than four months. It has seen more fatalities than any other country, while its 1.69 million confirmed infections account for about 30% of the worldwide total.” (BBC News)
  • “About 159,000 more people in 24 European countries have died since early March than would have ordinarily been expected, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday, with a “significant proportion” of the spike linked to COVID-19. So far, more than 2 million people in Europe have been sickened by the new coronavirus” (Reuters)
  • “Norway and Denmark say they will open up tourism between their two countries from 15 June but will maintain restrictions for Sweden… Sweden did not impose a lockdown, unlike its Nordic neighbours, and its Covid-19 death toll – above 4,000 – is by far the highest in Scandinavia.” (BBC News). 

Notes

Please remember we have a (growing) list of resources to support your emotional and mental health during this time on our website. The following numbers may be useful:

  • Samaritans: 116 123
  • Domestic Violence Hotline: 0808 2000 247
  • Mind: 0300 123 3393
  • Age UK: 0800 169 6565
  • Childline: 0800 1111.

Thanks to everyone who helped create this update through our Facebook group. If you submit posts, we will often decline posting them to the discussion directly and instead hold them till the single daily summary – to try to reduce the number of posts in the feed and make it easier for people to follow the information. Please continue to submit posts to admins for this purpose with a flag REQUEST / OFFER / UPDATE / QUESTION / COMMENTARY