Weekly COVID-19 Briefing: Week Commencing 13th April
This is update #3 in our weekly series during the Coronavirus lockdown period.
The nation is now in week three of lockdown and the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock announced this weekend that there have been over 10,00 deaths due to COVID-19 and the continuation of lockdown is expected.
Most people adhered to the guidelines from government about staying home and not coming into public spaces over the Easter weekend. The Ipswich Central Street Rangers, our very own key workers are out and about every day and pleased to report that the town is being well policed, well maintained and that customers using stores which are selling essential items are adhering to the social distancing rules.
A special shout out to Crystal Stanley and the NHS rainbow phenomenon. Yet another reason to be proud of the people that make our community what it is.
Useful updates:
Council Events: All events that have been organised or managed by Ipswich Borough Council and that are scheduled to take place in parks or on the Cornhill before 1st August 2020 have been either postponed or cancelled.
These events include Holi Festival, Global Rhythm, Music Day, Indian Summer Mela, Open Air Theatre and Family Fun Days.
The Council is making some plans to reschedule its events to late summer / early autumn - if gatherings etc are allowed by then. IBC are focusing on two weekends and hope this will enable other organisations to plan their thinking on rescheduled events – i.e. with some certainty that they wouldn’t clash with major Council organised events. These weekends are 22nd and 23rd August (already scheduled for Maritime Ipswich) and 26th and 27th September. More information will be issued as we move through the coming weeks.
Well Being:
Meeting emotional needs whilst working from home is difficult. Some guidance from Quay Place can be found here on how to meet emotional needs whilst working from home or self-isolating.
Business Funding:
https://ipswichcentral.com/news-and-events/covid-19
Government communication channels for business:
The Government has also opened up two communication channels for businesses, see below.
- HMRC Business Support Helpline - 0800 024 1222
- Coronavirus WhatsApp Information Service - To use this free service, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started.
Some great local initiatives:
