Current UK Risk Level: HIGH

The risk to the UK has been raised to high (as of 13/03/2020).

As of 13 Mar, UK is in the ‘delay’ phase of the government’s action plan to limit the spread of the virus.

 

Current UK Situation

• As of 9am 20 April, 386,044 people have been tested, of whom 124,743 have tested positive. As of 5pm on 19 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 16,509 have died. Full details and latest numbers are available here.
• In Suffolk we have 656 confirmed cases. However, with routine community testing discontinued, these figures will not describe the full extent of cases locally. You can view the latest UK dashboard of cases by local authority here.
• Government’s daily press conference (20 April 2020) – transcript here
  • PPE is an international challenge that many other countries are experiencing. We are receiving shipments of PPE regularly from suppliers in the UK and abroad.
  • HMRC opened the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme at 8 o’clock this morning (20 April).
  • Two initiatives have been launched to support the most innovative firms in the county, worth £1.25 billion. First, we are launching a new Future Fund worth £500 million, to make sure that high growth companies across the UK can continue to access the investment they need during the crisis. Second, our national innovation agency will provide £750 million of grant and loan funding for tens of thousands of highly innovative firms in every sector, and every region and nation of the UK.

o   Before we consider it safe to adjust any of the current social distancing measures, we must be satisfied that we have met the five tests set out last week by the First Secretary:

1.     the NHS can continue to cope;

2.     daily death rate falls sustainably and consistently;

3.     rate of infection is decreasing

4.     operational challenges have been met;

5.     there is no risk of a second peak.

• • 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
• Testing capacity increases as second Lighthouse Lab becomes fully operational – The second mega-lab at Alderley Park in Cheshire has begun to test thousands of patient samples a day for coronavirus.
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme up and running – The Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme went live on 20 April, with businesses able to claim up to £2,500 a month towards staff wages.
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Letter from the Local Government Minister to councils setting out further details of additional funding – the letter thanks councils again for their efforts responding to the coronavirus pandemic and provides further details on the support the government is providing.
• BBC: Should we all be wearing masks now? – The UK government is not currently advising most people to wear masks. However, its chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance confirmed the issue was under review. WHO has said there’s no evidence to support them being used by the population at large, but the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says face masks worn by the public might help control the spread of infection by people who are contagious but do not yet have symptoms.
• NHS urges public to stay safe ahead of Ramadan – the NHS has issued a reminder to those who observe the Islamic holy month to avoid social gatherings because of the risk of coronavirus.

 

 

Suffolk

 

Message from Nicola Beach, Chief Executive of SCC: Suffolk County Council Chief Executive, Nicola Beach has recorded a video explaining her role in Suffolk’s response to COVID19, as well as thanking colleagues across Suffolk for their incredible efforts to date. To watch the video click here

 

Update from Leader of the Council, Councillor Matthew Hicks: Leader of the Council, Councillor Matthew Hicks has provided an an update on the work of Suffolk County Council, including PPE provision, social care, work with partners in communities and additional funding announced by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Robert Jenrick MP, on Saturday. To read please click here

 

Suffolk Firefighters being trained to support paramedics: Firefighters in Suffolk are joining forces with blue light colleagues at the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) to help provide life-saving frontline care during the coronavirus pandemic. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has volunteered and trained about 30 firefighters to work alongside paramedics to respond to 999 calls over the coming weeks. The firefighters are already blue light trained and will drive frontline emergency NHS ambulances, in turn freeing up paramedics to care for patients. The firefighters have completed an induction course at Newmarket Ambulance Station, which included familiarising them with EEAST’s vehicles and equipment. They were also taught basic life support and safe moving and handling skills so that they can help transfer patients.

 

Coronavirus cases within care home settings: SCC will be reporting weekly on the number of suspected or confirmed cases within Suffolk care home settings, that Suffolk County Council has been made aware of.  These are number of cases as of 21/04/2020; IPSWICH AND EAST 30, WEST 13, WAVENEY 7. These figures are cumulative and are listed on area basis and will not include the details of any specific care homes. These figures include care homes, extra care housing and supported housing. Care providers are under no obligation to report suspected or confirmed cases to the county council. As a notifiable disease, care homes are required to report any potential or confirmed cases of Coronavirus to Public Health England (PHE) in order that this can be captured as part of the national reporting processes and also for PHE to provide advice and guidance on infection control.

 

PPE business appeal: A huge thank you to all those Suffolk based businesses that have come forward to help with donations of PPE. It is helping maintain vital services for Suffolk’s most vulnerable. Of course, there is always the need for more. If you have any unused: Fluid repellent face masks, Nitrile non powdered disposable gloves, Disposable aprons, Disposable eye protection/splash goggles and Sanitiser gel, please email PPE@Suffolk.gov.uk.

 

Home learning: BBC bitesize have launched daily lessons for children, providing three new lessons every weekday. The lessons are broken down into age groups and you’ll find daily lessons for Maths and English for every year group, as well as regular lessons in Science, History, Geography and more. The resources have been created with teachers and other educational experts and feature a mix of videos, animations, practice activities, quizzes and games. For more information visit: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/dailylessons

 

Advice for living with long term conditions: NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group have published links to advice on managing long-term conditions during the coronavirus outbreak. Visit: www.ipswichandeastsuffolkccg.nhs.uk/Newsevents/Coronavirus.aspx#conditions

 

Ramadan Guidance: The Muslim council of Britain has published guidance to help Muslims cope with the restrictions of lockdown during the coming fasting month of Ramadan. For more information visit: mcb.org.uk/resources/ramadan/

 

Business support finder tool: The government have launched a new ‘support finder’ tool which will help businesses and self-employed people across the UK to quickly and easily determine what financial support is available to them during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for more information.

 

Grant funding: The government have published data on the amount of money distributed to SMEs by every local authority in England as part of the two grant schemes launched to help businesses deal with coronavirus. The UK government has distributed £12.3 billion to local authorities in England and as of the 20 April 2020 £6.11 billion has been paid out to 491,725 business properties, approximately half of the grant funding allocated (49.58%). Click here to read more.

 

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
UPDATED	COVID-19: guidance for care of the deceased	people required to manage bodies of deceased persons	Added translated versions of guidance.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for schools and other educational settings	staff, parents and carers, pupils and students.	Added guidance on which data collections, services or requests will be cancelled, paused or will continue in the 2019 to 2020 academic year. Updated information about school food contracts and free school meal eligibility. Added guidance and a sample application form on the temporary extension of free school meals eligibility to NRPF groups.
UPDATED	Financial support for businesses during coronavirus (COVID-19)	businesses	Added details of the Future Fund and business support finder.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): social care guidance	social care	Added a note to say that the guidance is being reviewed following publication of the COVID-19 adult social care action plan. Homepage for all the main guidance for social care.
1	NHS – COVID-19 go-to page	General Public – this is the only site we should be promoting to the public for information
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 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	Full guidance on staying at home and away from others	Everyone	The single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
5	Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do	Everyone
6	Coronavirus: How to help safely	Everyone
7	Coronavirus (COVID-19) information leaflet	UK households
8	COVID-19 essential travel guidance	Public
9	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
10	Chronic disease self- care during COVID-19: Asthma Diabetes	General public
11	Children’s Commissioner: Children’s guide to coronavirus	children	Aimed at children: – Answer your questions about coronavirus – Tell you how to stay safe and protect other people – Help you make the best of your time at home Information correct as of 27 March 2020
12	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for children’s social care services	local authorities and their partners
13	Coronavirus (COVID-19): getting tested	critical workers who are self-isolating
14	Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult social care action plan	adult social care (includes people’s own homes, residential care homes and nursing homes, and other community setting)	This document sets out the government’s plan for: 1. controlling the spread of infection in care settings 2. supporting the workforce 3. supporting independence, supporting people at the end of their lives, and responding to individual needs 4. supporting local authorities and the providers of care

 

 

Local Resources:

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

 

Title	Who For	Comments
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 – reports available here

• WHO RISK ASSESSMENT (Global Level) – Very High
• WHO Covid-19 Dashboard for professionals using near real time data.
• The number of confirmed cases reported by countries reflects national laboratory testing capacity and strategy, thus the interpretation of the number of cases reported should take this into account.

 

Situation in Numbers WHO SitRep 91, 20 April (new since last 24hrs)

Location	Confirmed	Deaths
Globally	2 314 621 confirmed (72846)	157 847 deaths (5296)
European Region	1 149 071 confirmed (26882)	103 586 deaths (2648)
Regions of the Americas	858 631 confirmed (36771)	40 615 deaths (2357)
Western Pacific Region	132 438 confirmed (1326)	5648 deaths (27)
Eastern Mediterranean Region	129 433 confirmed (4742)	6048 deaths (140)
South-East Asia	29 576 confirmed (2257)	1275 deaths (90)
African Region	14 760 confirmed (868)	662 deaths (34)