Current UK Risk Level: HIGH

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

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 9am on 10^th June, 290,143 people have tested positive. As of 5pm on 9^th June, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, 41,128 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	152	166.3 per 100,000 resident
West Suffolk	234	130.8 per 100,000 resident
Suffolk	1,543	203.4     per 100,000 resident

 

• Government daily COVID-19 press conference- Prime Minister’s Statement- 10^th June (transcript available here)
  • Support bubble- From this weekend, single adult households (adults living alone, or single parents with children under 18) can form a “support bubble” with another household. All those in a “support bubble” will be able to act as if they live in the same household – meaning they can spend time together inside each others’ homes and do not need to stay 2 metres apart. “Support bubbles” must be exclusive. If any member of the “support bubble” develops symptoms, all members of the bubble will need to follow the normal advice on household isolation.
  • Individuals who are shielding- are advised not to form “support bubbles” at the present time.
  • Places of worship- To be open for individual prayer from this weekend.
  • Outdoor attractions, where people can stay in their cars, such as safari parks and drive-in cinemas to open from Monday.
  • Focus to bring all children back to school in September.
  • Taking into account all of the evidence, the estimate is that currently R is below one in all regions.

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

• A release from ONS has highlighted the social impact of the coronavirus pandemic on disabled people in Great Britain.

• There was a decrease in disabled people reporting they were “somewhat worried” or “very worried” about the effect of coronavirus in their life in May 2020 (73.6%) compared to April 2020 (86.3%)
• Disabled adults reported feeling more lonely in the last 7 days in May 2020 (48.7%) compared to April 2020 (30.3%)
• Concerns about well-being tended to be most frequent among those with mental health and socio-behavioural-related impairments, whereas concerns about access to essentials tended to be most frequent among those with hearing- or dexterity-related impairments

• A new report ‘Getting the NHS back on track- Planning for the next phase of COVID-19’ released by NHS Confederation as part of its NHS Reset campaign outlines the key challenges that local health and care organisations will face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Key challenges highlighted are:

• Funding
• Capacity
• Rehabilitation
• Health inequalities
• Regulation and inspections
• System working
• Managing public expectations

• The government has confirmed distribution of an additional £63 million to local authorities in England to support those who are struggling to afford food and essential items during the coronavirus pandemic.
• BBC: There is increasing pressure on the government to reconsider the 2m social distancing rule, and to instead follow the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidance of 1m distance. Several countries such as France, Singapore, Denmark already follow WHO’s guidance on 1m distance. This change will aid quicker recovery of businesses including pubs, restaurants and cafes.  
• BBC Health: There have been reports of huge disruption to cancer services as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK including review of patients by a cancer specialist (a drop of 60%) and initiation of treatment (down by 20% compared to April 2019).
• BBC: Global picture:

• According to data from Johns Hopkins University, more than 2 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in USA
• Pandemic is accelerating in Africa, with South Africa accounting for a quarter of cases on the continent – WHO
• USA has the most recorded cases of coronavirus in the world, followed by Brazil and Russia

 

Suffolk

Safeguarding: Safeguarding referrals to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) from charities and voluntary groups are down around 50% on this time last year. The Community Action Suffolk Safeguarding Network are asking for feedback to help them understand the reasons for this. To provide feedback click here

Mental Health Support: As we begin to emerge from lockdown, GamCare and other helpline organisations are joining forces to make sure those who need them know their services are still here, still free and still confidential. Click here for more information.

PPE Supplies: If a business is reopening and needs PPE, they can check out the New Anglia LEP supply chain database. More than 1,200 products already available, including masks, visors and return to work equipment. Click here for more information.

Feed the nation: Staffline & PeoplePlus are working to Feed the Nation by recruiting and training a temporary workforce in Supermarkets and the supply chain – for vacancies go to https://www.feedthenation.co.uk/

 

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	Meeting people from outside your household	General Public	Guidance on meeting people that you do not live with while protecting yourself and others from coronavirus (COVID-19). From 13 June, single adult households can form a ‘support bubble’ with one other household. All those in a support bubble will be able to spend time together inside each others’ homes, including overnight, without needing to stay 2 metres apart
NEW	Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer air travel guidance for passengers	General Public	Guidance on how to travel safely in airports and aircrafts during the coronavirus pandemic. This includes advice on hand washing, face coverings, social distancing while travelling
UPDATED	Staying alert and safe (social distancing)	General Public	Updated to include guidance on “support bubbles”, visiting outdoor attractions, support to pupils in Year 10 and 12 in secondary schools
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for local government	Local Council	Several links added, including: Face coverings become mandatory on public transport ban on evictions extended by 2 months to further protect renters contingency measures for this year’s electoral canvass to address coronavirus challenge
UPDATED	Higher education: reopening buildings and canvases	Education staff	Updated section: Staff and student wellbeing which includes information on using existing funding to provide hardship funds, mental health support and supporting disadvantaged students
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): looking after people who lack mental capacity	Adult care services, Carers	Added a new section called ‘The right to appeal if someone is subject to emergency health powers and lacks the relevant mental capacity’
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for people receiving direct payments	Local authorities, CCG, adult care services, people who buy care and support	Additions include: Guidance for commissioners, people receiving direct payments and care providers (easy read) Using direct payments during the coronavirus outbreak: the most important things to know Guidance for people receiving direct payments and personal assistants now includes addition of case studies, and there are new sections on PPE, testing and the flexible of use of direct payments.
UPDATED	COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients and residents in health and social care settings	Professionals	Updated flowcharts, and guidance on clinical symptoms. This includes advice on returning to work if clinical symptoms have improved and no fever for 48 hours (without medication)
1	NHS – COVID-19 go-to page	General Public	This page includes: latest NHS information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19).
2	GOV.UK – COVID-19 homepage	Main cover webpage for all government guidance for public & professionals alike	Main cover webpage for both public and professionals containing the links to: National guidance News/Announcements Press conferences Statistics
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	The Heatwave Plan for England remains unchanged for summer 2020. Additional actions may be needed due to COVID-19 and specific resources are available below.
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 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 142, 10 June