Catching everyone in the coronavirus safety net

We are sharing this campaign – which includes a petition to Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer – because it makes a strong link between the need to stop the spread of this virus (one of our aims), the work of community reponse groups like ours, and the safety net provided by the government (the article is also written by a Stroud-resident, Caroline Molloy):

“Much of the well-publicised failures to keep distance are the result of unclear advice, people having to work, overcrowded housing and the fact that so much public space is given to traffic, not people. Most people I’ve seen in recent days were doing their best: a weird dance of distancing.

Everyone I know is reaching out to others, to the elderly, the mentally and physically vulnerable, the isolated, trying to figure out how they can help each other best. Whether it be getting a job in a supermarket, coming back into the NHS, or supporting neighbours informally through mutual aid.

People need to be able to make these choices…

Everyone, without exception, must have a liveable income to sustain them in the difficult months ahead.”