Current UK Alert Level: 3

On 19/06/2020 update from the UK Chief Medical Officers on the UK alert level confirmed that the UK COVID-19 alert level has been lowered from risk level 4 to risk level 3. It does not mean that the pandemic is over. The virus is still in general circulation, and localised outbreaks are likely to occur.

 

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

 

 

 

Current UK Situation

• As of 9:00am on 24 June, 306,862 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, of those, 43,081 have died across all settings. 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	350	254.5 per 100,000 residents
East Suffolk	625	251.8 per 100,000 residents
Mid Suffolk	184	179.5 per 100,000 residents
Babergh	154	168.5 per 100,000 residents
West Suffolk	235	131.4 per 100,000 residents
Suffolk	1,548	204.1 per 100,000 residents

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

 

• School funding: exceptional costs associated with coronavirus (COVID-19)

The government is allowing schools to apply for extra funding due to the unexpected costs incurred due to the coronavirus.

• Online education resources for home learning

Resources for English, maths and science are now available online to schools and parents to help children learn at home. This includes tips on home schooling.

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): keeping children safe online

Due to our increased internet usage the government has provided guidance on steps to take to protect children from cyberbullying and to ensure exposure to only age appropriate content.

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): providing home care
  New guidance is now available for all staff providing care at home.
  Carers can support the shielding of clinically extremely vulnerable people receiving home care during COVID-19.
  Creating care groups and allocating staff to individual groups can help decrease the risk of infection.

 

COVID 19 related News from the GOV.UK website

• British company AstraZeneca has announced a donation toward the COVID-19 fight in Guatemala. This will be in the form of personal protective equipment and rapid test kits. More details on this story can be found here.
• Thousands of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers are reopening form the 4^th of July and have been provided practical guidance for this. Further details are available here.
• New government guidance supports reopening of tourism and visitor attractions on July 4. This is to enable the public to enjoy domestic holidays and visit attractions on days out.
• Hot weather warning issued to people shielding and more vulnerable groups
  Public Health England has issued a heat warning and is encouraging vulnerable people to take care during the exceptionally hot weather forecast this week.

 

COVID 19 Related News from the BBC

BBC: Coronavirus: Antibody test lacks ‘proper assessment’
Experts warn that Covid-19 antibody tests for NHS and care staff are being rolled out without “adequate assessment”. Fourteen senior academics through a letter in the BMJ say that the tests could place an unnecessary burden on the NHS.

BBC: Coronavirus: Human trial of new vaccine begins in UK
About 300 people will have the vaccine over the coming weeks, as part of a trial led by Prof Robin Shattock and his colleagues, at Imperial College London.

BBC: Coronavirus: UK councils fear bankruptcy amid Covid-19 costs
Some of the largest UK councils say they may have to declare themselves effectively bankrupt unless the government agrees to further support. The government said it was working on a “comprehensive plan” for councils.

BBC: Coronavirus: Illegal lockdown parties hosted in online rentals
Lockdown parties hosted in properties booked via online sites, including Airbnb and Booking.com, are putting “communities at risk”, the Bed and Breakfast Association has said.

 

BBC Global Picture

o  France’s Eiffel Tower reopens: After its longest closure since World War II this monument is being reopen with restrictions on the number of people being allowed.

o  New York imposes quarantine on eight US states : People travelling from southern and western states of the USA, where COVID cases are rising, have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days. So far, the US has recorded more than 2.3 million cases of the virus and more than 121,000 deaths.

o  Hard-hit Brazil records second highest daily death toll : Brazil is the second worst affected country after the United States.

 

 

Suffolk

 

Anglian Water Reservoirs reopened: Anglian Water reservoirs have reopened to the public and as the temperature rises Anglian Water are reminding visitors to their reservoirs not to enter the water. The water may look inviting on a hot day but there are hidden dangers, currents and cold temperatures below the surface. Please stay safe, enjoy their water parks and maintain social distancing. Help us spread the word by sharing this message.

 

Travel Assistance Cards: Colleagues from the Suffolk Local Offer and Passenger Transport teams have produced Travel Assistance cards which you can download and print if you need a little help with your journey. These include cards for those with a disability to explain why they may not be wearing a face covering. For more information visit;

 

Keep Moving Suffolk: Ipswich Hospital Doctor, Dr Craig Sheridan has written a blog about redefining your health and support for the journey towards full recovery from Covid-19. To read the blog click here

 

Cycling and Walking changes to the road network: From Today (Thursday 25th June) in Ipswich, the Bridge St slip road will be closed to motorised vehicles to create a safer walking and cycling route from the south side of Ipswich into the town centre. Click here for more information on measures we are putting in place will ensure those people who need and want to make essential journeys and take daily exercise by foot or bike can do so whilst maintaining social distancing.

 

Careers Hub: All secondary schools and colleges in Norfolk and Suffolk will have the opportunity to join a Careers Hub in a move aimed at transforming careers education and supporting skills for the Covid-19 recovery. Click here for more information.

 

 

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	Alternative provision: year 11 transition funding	Pupil referral units, AP academy, AP free schools, hospital schools	A one-off allocation due to schools’ limited opening during the COVID-19 outbreak. Funding up to £750 for each year 11 pupil on their school or college roll
NEW	Online education resources for home learning	Schools and parents to help children to learn at home	Available for English, maths, science PE, wellbeing and special educational needs and disability (SEND)
NEW	Home education tips	Parents who are home schooling children
NEW	School funding: exceptional costs associated with coronavirus (COVID-19)	Schools	Provided details on additional funding available to schools to cover costs related to coronavirus
NEW	Claiming exceptional costs associated with coronavirus	Schools	Instructions for schools to claim exceptional cost incurred between March and July 2020 due to COVID-19
NEW	Coronavirus (COVID-19): keeping children safe online	Parents and carers
NEW	Coronavirus (COVID-19): providing home care	Social care staff	This guidance covers PPE, shielding and care groups, hospital discharge and testing, government support for social care, information collection and governance
NEW	Coronavirus guidance for Companies House customers, employees and suppliers	Businesses and self-employed people
NEW	COVID-19: background information	Clinicians and public	Epidemiology, virology and clinical features of SARS-CoV2
UPDATED	Staying safe outside your homes	General public
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19) statistics and analysis	Professionals
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
8	Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker	Professionals	The tracker compares worldwide government responses to the coronavirus rigorously and consistently. The Oxford team collects information on common policy responses, scores the stringency of such measures, and aggregates these into a Stringency Index.   As of 18 June, UK’s stringency level is 73.15 (many restrictions). For comparison, New Zealand’s stringency level is 19.44 (few restrictions) and Cuba’s is 100 (many restrictions, including total stay at home confinement and all but essential workplace closing).

 

 

 

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 156, 24 June