The risk to the UK remains high (as of 13/03/2020). 

As of week commencing 11/05/2020, we’re in Phase two (Smarter controls) of the Government’s recovery strategy. The country is also moving from Level 4 to Level 3 by the new COVID Alert System and taking the first step in relaxing lockdown measures.

Please note the Government’s messaging has changed from â€˜stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’ to ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’

Current UK Situation 

• As of 9am on 13 May, 1,522,258 people have been tested, of which 229,705 tested positive. As of 5pm on 12 May, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, 33,186 have died. You can view the latest UK dashboard and cases by local authority here. Confirmed cases in Suffolk are broken down by Districts & Boroughs as follows: 

 

• Government’s Daily Press Conference: 13 May – transcript here.

• • The Housing Secretary outlined the government’s response to COVID-19 and the plan to safely restart, reopen and renew the housing market (see updated home moving guidance in the table below). 
  • From 13 May: estate agents’ offices can re-open; viewings – whether virtual or in person – are permitted; show homes can open; and removal companies and the other essential parts of the sales and letting process are re-started with immediate effect. 
  • Announcement of further steps to support safe house building by allowing more flexible working hours on construction sites,
  • Press conference slides with the latest data from COBR coronavirus fact file (transport use, new cases, hospital admissions, deaths) and datasets available here.
  • View past press conferences on YouTube

• Government announces roadmap taskforces – Five new ministerial-led taskforces have been set up to develop plans for how and when closed sectors can reopen safely, following publication of the UK’s recovery strategy. The five taskforces will look at the following sectors: (1) pubs and restaurants; (2) non-essential retail (including salons); (3) recreation and leisure, including tourism, culture and heritage, libraries, entertainment and sport; (4) places of worship; and (5) international aviation. 
• NHS England: Public told ‘act FAST’ as NHS uses artificial intelligence to speed up stroke care  – The NHS is today urging anyone who thinks they or a loved one have symptoms of the killer condition not be put off seeking help because of coronavirus but to ‘act FAST’.
• Covid-19 app- Further information about the NHS Covid-19 app currently on trial on the Isle of Wight to help test, track and trace can be found on their website. 
• BBC: Public Health England (PHE) has now approved a test to determine who has had the disease – and potentially gained some immunity – which could help restart the country after coronavirus is an effective test. While previous tests lacked reliability, PHE says this test (developed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche) is the first one to offer serious potential. However, even if the test works and is accurate, there are still some questions over how much immunity has been gained by those who have had the disease and recovered. Talks are under way with the government over whether it can be produced at scale and at a reasonable cost. 
• BBC: Global Picture

• • Leading figure at the World Health Organization Dr Mike Ryan has warned coronavirus “may never go away”. He compared it with HIV, which he said had not gone away but the world had come to terms with it.
  • Children in Denmark have been back at school for a month now. It is the first country in Europe to reopen classrooms. 

• BBC: Health

• • More cases are emerging of a rare disease affecting children which is linked to coronavirus. Doctors say the new phenomenon – similar to toxic shock syndrome – is likely to be related to the build-up of antibodies in response to an infection. While the condition is “exceptionally rare”, 100 UK children have been affected – with some having to be treated in intensive care. 
  • Common symptoms in children with Kawasaki like disease related to coronavirus include high fever, rash, red eyes, swelling, swollen glands and general pain.
  • Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health stressed the rarity of children being affected. It is predicted that  children make up 1-2% of all coronavirus infections. Prof Viner further stated “this shouldn’t stop parents from letting their children exit lockdown.”

• Faculty of Occupational Medicine: Risk Reduction Framework for NHS Staff at risk of COVID-19 infection – This is a consensus document resulting from a discussion amongst a range of experts in this field, aiming to better protect our workforce and maximise the ability of the NHS to deal with current pressures. It is however important to acknowledge that this area is continuously evolving.

Suffolk

COVID-19 testing in Suffolk: A new online portal that makes it easy for care homes to arrange deliveries of coronavirus test kits has been launched by the government, to find out more visit; www.gov.uk/apply-coronavirus-test-care-home. You can also find out more information about testing in Suffolk, including locations of mobile testing units here www.suffolk.gov.uk/testing

Road closures for Recycling centres: To support the click and recycle services at Recycling Centres across Suffolk, road closures will be installed at the following locations from today (14 May 2020) –  Foxhall Road, Ipswich; Sir Alf Ramsey Way, Ipswich and Bury Road, Fornham St Martin. To find out more or to book a slot at a recycling centre click here

Residents of Suffolk asked to return their unused community equipment: Staff at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) are urging local people to return their unused NHS community equipment, to support their local services in this pressured time. The equipment in question includes items such as crutches, walking frames and hoists, specialised cushions and particularly beds and air/pressure mattresses.  These items are sometimes issued to people in their own homes, or even into care homes to support people’s recovery and quality of life. Click here for more information. 

Suffolk Assembly of Youth April Newsletter: The Suffolk Assembly of Youth, a network of youth organisations and young leaders in Suffolk have published their April Newsletter which includes lots of information and resources for young people during the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to read the newsletter. 

Clap for Carers: It is Thursday once again so please don’t forget to #ClapforCarers tonight at 8pm and to praise the NHS. Our local hospitals have asked that people please don’t go to hospital to clap but stay at home and clap from doorsteps. It is absolutely right that we show the NHS our support and appreciation for all their tireless work but it is also worth remembering our other unsung heroes; care workers, social workers, family carers, foster carers, to name a few, during this show of appreciation.. These incredible people are showing great strength and dedication to others and are often doing this quietly in the background, just getting on and doing what needs to be done. Each and every one of them deserves to feel the support of the rest of the nation, so please try to think of them while we applaud our brilliant NHS this evening.

Useful Websites (any new guidance is in RED)

The existing guidance is being updated extremely regularly so please check any guidance relevant to your area to ensure that you are accessing the most up to date version. We are not including in this table all the published material but some of the key guidance that would be relevant to Suffolk County Council and our partners

 

	Title	Who For	Comments
NEW	How tests and testing kits for coronavirus (COVID-19) work	public, patients, professionals and industry	Information for members of the public, patients, professionals and industry about COVID-19 tests and testing kits, including how they work, the different types of tests and the specifications manufacturers need to follow.
NEW	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on phased return of sport and recreation	public, providers of outdoor sport facilities, elite athletes, personal trainers and coaches	From Wednesday 13 May 2020, you can now exercise outside as often as you wish and you can also sit and rest outside – exercise or recreation can be alone, with members of your household, or with 1 other person from outside your household while keeping 2 metres apart at all times.
NEW	Holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus (COVID-19)	Employers	An explanation of how holiday entitlement and pay operate during the coronavirus pandemic, where it differs from the standard holiday entitlement and pay guidance.
NEW	Coronavirus (COVID-19): construction update Q&A	construction sector	Questions and answers on today’s (13 May 2020) announcement on construction site working hours to enable social distancing working practices.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support grant funding – guidance for local authorities	local authorities	Added guidance on the Local Authority Discretionary Fund.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings	staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.	Added: – Actions for FE colleges and providers during the coronavirus outbreak – Procurement Policy Note 02/20: Supplier relief due to COVID-19 under Finance and administration.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): hospital discharge service requirements	health and care systems and providers	Added 3 new documents: ‘What you need to know about leaving hospital – Easy Read leaflet’, ‘When you leave hospital to go home – Easy Read leaflet’ and ‘Leaving hospital to go to a care home – Easy Read leaflet’.
UPDATED	Government advice on home moving during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak	people moving between private residential homes	The government has amended the coronavirus (COVID-19) regulations to make clear that people who wish to move home can do so. This guidance provides important public health information to ensure that moving home and key activities around this, such as viewing property, can happen safely.
1	NHS – COVID-19 go-to page	General Public
2	GOV.UK – COVID-19 homepage	Main cover webpage for all government guidance for public & professionals alike
3	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance	Main collection of guidance for anyone in any setting	Guidance includes: – Guidance for the public (incl. social distancing and shielding) – Guidance for non-clinical settings (incl. cleaning, educational settings, employees, employers, businesses, residential care, supported living and home care) – Guidance for health professionals – Infection prevention and control (incl. PPE) – Sampling and diagnostics
4	Staying alert and safe (social distancing)	Everyone	This has replaced previous guidance ‘Staying at home and away from others (social distancing)’
5	Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do	Everyone
6	Mental health support and advice from: WHO mentalhealth.org.uk Ipswich & East CCG Living Life To The Full NHS Practitioner Wellbeing Samaritans	General public, staff and carers
7	Chronic disease self- careduring COVID-19: Asthma Diabetes	General public
8	Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult social care guidance	social care
9	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children’s social care services	local authorities and their partners
10	European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) COVID-19 homepage	Professionals

 

Local Resources: 

Below are any local resources that would be relevant to Suffolk County Council and our partners.   

	Title	Who For	Comments
	New Anglia: Employment Opportunities in Key Sectors in Norfolk and Suffolk	Individuals and Businesses wanting to know what employment opportunities are available in some of our key sectors	The New Anglia LEP – alongside other partners including local authorities – have pulled together lists and links to key employment roles needed now as part of the response to the current crisis.
	Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership	Everyone	The website aims to help everyone understand the signs of neglect or abuse and what to do if they are worried about a child or an adult.
	NEW ANGLIA GROWTH HUB	Businesses needing support	A one stop shop source of information for government support and guidance available to  businesses including 121 business advice sources of business grants and loans.
	Healthy Suffolk: COVID-19 Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Information Hub	Everyone	This page contains links to a wealth of resources and support for your health and wellbeing.
	Suffolk County Council:Coronavirus information	Everyone	Suffolk County Council coronavirus (COVID-19) information, including health advice, service changes, business support and schools guidance.
	Keep Moving Suffolk	Everyone	The website contains free resources, ideas, tips, useful links and positive stories to encourage people to stay active during these unprecedented times.  The website and our social channels will be constantly updated.

 

Global: WHO Situation Report â€“ reports available here

• WHO RISK ASSESSMENT (Global Level) – Very High
• WHO Covid-19 Dashboard for professionals using near real time data. 
• GOARN COVID-19 Knowledge hub – central repository of quality public health information, guidance, tools and webinars which can be accessed freely at any point.

 

Situation in Numbers WHO SitRep 114, 13 May