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 9am on 28 June, 311,151 people have tested positive. As of 5pm on 27 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, 43,550 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 residents
East Suffolk	625	251.8 per 100,000 residents
Mid Suffolk	186	181.5 per 100,000 residents
Babergh	154	168.5 per 100,000 residents
West Suffolk	235	131.4 per 100,000 residents
Suffolk	1,551	204.5 per 100,000 residents

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

 

 

COVID19 related news from GOV.UK

• Letter to councils on the re-opening of public toilets and tips (28 June) – Government’s position is that there is no reason in law why such sites cannot be open and where possible, local authorities should seek to retain access to waste services for their residents to dispose of waste and LAs are strongly urged to open public toilets (guidance on safe reopening in the letter).
• Government unveils £200 million package to help innovative businesses bounce back – The Sustainable Innovation Fund will help companies recovering from the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) keep their cutting-edge projects and ideas alive.
• Support for university research and innovation during coronavirus – The government has announced 2 significant new support packages, including series of government grants and low interest loans.
• Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine not licensed for coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment – Clinical trials are ongoing to test chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as an agent in the treatment of COVID-19 or to prevent COVID-19 infection. These clinical trials are still not completed, so no conclusions have been reached on the safety and effectiveness of this medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19.
• Green light for COVID-19 trial recruitment – The MHRA has approved the recruitment of further participants for a clinical trial investigating hydroxychloroquine in prevention of COVID-19, by the University of Oxford.
• Prime Minister’s virtual summit on Hidden Harms (26 June) – The Prime Minister led a virtual summit on Hidden Harms in recognition that that for some children and adults, home is not the safe place it should be, and that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought with it additional dangers.
• Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill receives royal assent – The measures in this Act will relieve the burden on businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and allow them to focus all their efforts on continuing to operate.

 

Other COVID19 related news

• BBC: Leicester ‘could be locked down’ says home secretary – Government officials will meet Leicester’s mayor this morning to discuss how to deal with a spike in cases. The home secretary confirmed the city could be facing a local lockdown.
• BBC: Number of mobile testing units to more than double  – The number of mobile Covid-19 testing units in the UK will more than double over the coming weeks. The military are earmarked to staff many facilities.
• BBC Global Picture
  • More than 500,000 people worldwide have now lost their lives as a result of the pandemic, according to data gurus at Johns Hopkins University. Half the world’s cases have been in the US and Europe, but Covid-19 is now rapidly growing in the Americas. The virus is also affecting South Asia and Africa, where it’s not expected to peak until the end of July.
  • China has reinstated a strict lockdown near Beijing, affecting around 400,000 people. Even though the surge in cases there is small, the country is desperate to crack down quickly on any rise to prevent a second wave.

Suffolk

PPE: The New Anglia LEP have pulled together a database of 180 PPE suppliers and for any organisation in Norfolk or Suffolk to use if they are looking for equipment to help them reopen their business. For more information click here

Women’s Tour Virtual Challenge: Following the recent success of the Å KODA V-Women’s Tour, which featured the finish of the 2014 Women’s Tour in Bury St Edmunds, Keep Moving Suffolk in partnership with the Women’s Tour and the East Anglian Air Ambulance are inviting new, returning and regular cyclists to take on the Women’s Tour Virtual cycling challenge The virtual challenge, which will run from the 20 July – 16 August, is to ride the 163.8km of the 2019 Women’s Tour stage from Beccles to Stowmarket, which was won by Belgian rider Jolien D’Hoore who currently rides for UCI Women’s Continental Team Boels–Dolmans. As well as taking on a personal challenge, participants will also be helping to raise much needed funds for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. For more information click here

Key National Guidance updates

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	COVID-19: Guidance for the safe use of places of worship from 4 July	Places of worship	The guidance provides advice on how places of worship can open for a broader range of activities on 4 July.
NEW	COVID-19: Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships	people planning to get married or form a civil partnership, venues hosting such ceremonies	This guidance is designed to assist people planning to get married or form a civil partnership in England.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for local government	Local government	added: COVID-19: Guidance for managing playgrounds and outdoor gyms
UPDATED	COVID-19: guidance for food businesses	Food businesses	Updated guidance to include new section on prevention of infection and revised section on management of outbreaks including contact details for health protection teams.
UPDATED	Domestic abuse: get help during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak	Victims of domestic abuse	Added more specific information about how to get help during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer travel guidance for passengers	Transport operators and passengers	From 4 July 2020, government guidance on social distancing is changing. If you cannot keep a 2 metre distance, reduce the risk to yourself and others by maintaining a 1 metre distance where possible, and taking suitable precautions.

 

 

Useful Websites

 

	Title	Who For	Comments
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 160, 29 June