Current UK Risk Level: HIGH

 

The risk to the UK remains high (as of 16/03/2020).

 

As of week commencing 11/05/2020, we’re moving into Phase two (Smarter controls) of the Government’s recovery strategy. As per PM’s 11 May message, the country is in the process of moving from Level 4 to Level 3 by the new COVID Alert System and taking the first step in relaxing lockdown measures – According to the PM’s statement “Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of the British people in this lockdown, we have helped to bring the R level down and we are now in a position to begin moving to Level 3, in steps”.

 

Please note the Government’s messaging is now  â€˜stay alert, control the virus, save lives’ (previously ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’)

 

Current UK Situation

• As of 4:02pm on 17 June, 299,251 people have tested positive. As of 4:02pm on 17 June, of those who tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, 42,153 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:

 

Ipswich	351	255.2 per 100,000 resident
East Suffolk	623	251.0 per 100,000 resident
Mid Suffolk	183	178.5 per 100,000 resident
Babergh	153	167.4 per 100,000 resident
West Suffolk	235	131.4 per 100,000 resident
Suffolk	1,545	203.7 per 100,000 resident

 Please note numbers may go up or down as the reported data are continually checked and cleaned.

 

• The Government daily COVID-19 press conference on 17^th June 2020 was given by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary (transcript currently unavailable).

o   Highlighted the return of Premier League football on 17 June 2020, which was back after a 100 day pause and an “important step forward in our careful journey towards normality”. Encouraged fans to look after their community by watching and supporting from home.

o   A third of the 92 Premier League games will be on available live on free-to-air channels.

o   Emphasised the need to raise mental health awareness, and “be more open about talking about mental health”.

o   Sports Recovery: Aim to open grassroot and community sport by start of July at the earliest, if it is safe to do so.

o   Will develop roadmap over the next week for the safe return of performance art while addressing specific and practical obstacles with greater flexibility.

o   Archive of slides, datasets and transcripts to accompany coronavirus press conferences available here.

• Student Space: A new online resource was announced by the Universities Minister that will be funded up to £3 million by the Office for Students. It will enable all students at English and Welsh universities to have access to a variety of mental health and welfare support services. Students will be able to draw on this whatever course they’re doing or whatever university they’re studying at and it will operate daily for a period of six months.
• Geography of COVID-19 crisis in England: A few key messages from a review published by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) ‘The geography of the COVID-19 crisis in England’ are:

·       There is no one measure of vulnerability that can summarise which areas will be hardest hit by the crisis.

·       However, some local authorities(LAs) are more vulnerable than average on health, economic and social lines.

·       Many coastal areas are notably vulnerable along both health and job dimensions.

·       Policymakers at different levels of government will have to coordinate to respond effectively to different types of needs.

·       COVID-19 and inequalities: A few key messages from a review published by the IFS ‘ COVID-19 and inequalities’ are:

–        About 30% of low-income households pre-crisis said that they could not manage a month if they were to lose their main source of household income. They spend a high fraction of their budgets on necessities that are hard to scale back.

–        School shutdowns are likely to accentuate the socio-economic divide in educational attainment.

–        The crisis is likely to leave many challenging legacies for inequality.

·       ADASS Coronavirus Survey 2020 has highlighted the following key messages:

·       The onset of the pandemic has led to an increase in the number of people presenting adult social care needs to LAs and unmet need.

·       There is a concerning decline in people approaching some LAs for support for domestic abuse and safeguarding issues.  

·       LAs have been proactive in engaging with and taken a range of measures to support providers.

·       There are significant concerns about the availability of testing for people receiving social care, unpaid carers and personal assistants.

• Malaysian Experience during COVID-19: ‘The Malaysian Response to COVID-19: Building Preparedness for ‘Surge Capacity’, Testing Efficiency, and Containment from the Director- General of Health Malaysia’ has highlighted the use of “innovative and speedy pandemic responses that have kept infections and deaths relatively low”. In addition, Malaysia attributes its success to “basic public health tools – social distancing, advocating the wearing of face masks in public spaces, contact tracing, frequent hand-washing. These were early key interventions while awaiting further evidence-based recommendations.”
• BBC UK: The Health Secretary said there will soon be new advice for people who are shielding. Around 2.2 million in England who have been shielding since the start of lockdown in March, will get letters detailing the new advice.
• BBC England: A worrying report on the impact of coronavirus on homeless people has highlighted the need for councils to continue to provide safe accommodation. Charities are concerned that more people will return to sleeping rough as premises such as hotels and B&Bs reopen.
• BBC Health: Prof Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons has proposed frequent testing of NHS staff and said “It’s absolutely essential to regain public confidence that we are able to test our staff regularly.”
• BBC: Global Picture:

• • Globally there are now 8.3 million recorded cases of coronavirus, and 448,000 deaths due to coronavirus.
  • The Americas have now become the hotbed for coronavirus outbreak, with Peru overtaking Italy in the number of confirmed infections- 240,908.
  • More than 650 people have tested positive for coronavirus in an abattoir in Germany. As a result thousands of people have gone into quarantine.
  • WHO has stopped its research looking into the potential treatment of coronavirus by hydroxychloroquine.
  • India has reported 12,881 new cases of coronavirus on 17 June, the highest number of cases in one day for the country.
  • Premier League returned on 17 June with its first game held behind closed doors.

Suffolk

 

Stick with it Suffolk – Thank you: Together, by following the guidance, we have all managed to help slow the spread of this virus in Suffolk and saved lives – THANK YOU. We continue to ask you to Stick With It Suffolk. Click here to watch our video

 

Suffolk Day: Suffolk day is taking place this weekend on the 21 June, we may not be celebrating Suffolk Day in the usual way this year, but that’s not going to stop us shouting about the things we love most about where we live. Whether it’s our big skies, beautiful beaches, sweeping countryside, fantastic food and drink, historic towns and villages or, of course, Suffolk’s people. To get involved and share how you’re celebrating Suffolk Day this year use #suffolkday on you social media accounts. If you want to give your home a bit of Suffolk Day flare, why not download some decorative bunting and check out some of the other resources on the Suffolk Day website. We hope that wherever you chose to celebrate Suffolk, you have fun and keep safe. Keep looking out for each other. 

 

Safer Spaces in Babergh: A joint statement from Suffolk County Council and Babergh District Council on creating safer places that will support businesses as they reopen in the district. Click here

 

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	Coronavirus (COVID-19): Apply for the Food Charities Grant Fund	Food aid charity workers	The grant scheme is now closed
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): getting tested	General Public	‘Drive-through appointment’ has been changed to ‘test site appointment’ in the ‘Arrange a test if you’re an essential worker’ section. ‘Drive-through regional testing sites’ has been changed to ‘drive-through and walk-through test sites’ in the ‘Test sites’ section.
UPDATED	Answers to the most common topics asked about by the public for the coronavirus press conference	General Public	New topic added to Test and Trace service
UPDATED	Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person	General Public	Added guidance on support bubbles, including: All those in a support bubble can now spend time in each other’s homes, including overnight
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	Heatwave Plan for England	Professionals
5	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
6	Chronic disease self- care during COVID-19: Asthma Diabetes	General public
7	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
	Support from the Suffolk Growth Programme Board (SGPB)	Everyone	SGPB is a partnership of all Suffolk local authorities, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, University of Suffolk and New Anglia LEP. In Suffolk our Economy & business recovery work for COVID- 19 is being led by SGPB and the website includes links to funding / surveys / economic impact work. Please do pass this information on to your contacts.
	Suffolk Domestic Abuse 24/7 Helpline – Freephone 0800 977 5690	Everyone	The freephone number is live from 9am on Friday 22nd May 2020 for anyone with concerns including professionals who may be supporting clients as well as friends and family members who are concerned for loved ones.
	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 – reports available here

• 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 149, 17 June