|
During these unprecedented times, we want to keep you up-to-date with the current news and advice.
As a result, this newsletter contains the latest news and messages from Coventry City Council, public health guidance, national advice around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and information about local community groups and partners who are offering local support.
Remember to keep checking our website for the latest information.
In this issue:
Four new COVID-19 community testing sites are to open in the city.
The new sites will be in addition to the city centre venue at the Transport Museum and the recently announced centres at the Indian Community Centre in Foleshill and the Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre in Wood End.
They will give thousands more people easy access to the Lateral Flow Tests that are a key weapon in slowing the spread of the virus.
The latest locations are:
- The AT7 Centre in Bell Green
- The Alan Higgs Centre off Allard Way
- The Xcel Centre in Canley
- The Hagard Community Centre in Willenhall
They are all due to open by the end of the month and will offer a combined 48 extra testing booths with the capacity of testing over 4,500 people every day. The Alan Higgs Centre will be the largest, with 24 booths and the capacity for almost 2,000 tests a day.
The announcement comes just days after news of testing centres at the Indian Community Centre in Foleshill and Moat House Leisure Centre in Wood End are set to open on Monday (18 January), as well as the relocation of the city centre site from Coventry University’s Priory Building to the Transport Museum.
If you have any questions about our new Lateral Flow Testing programme then visit our website and read our FAQs about the programme. They cover things like how it works, where you can get a test and how long it takes for results.
The new variant of coronavirus is now said to be responsible for over two thirds of new infections in Coventry and the West Midlands.
Research from Public Health England show that 70% of new infections in the city are the new variant, which the Government has said is far more transmissible than the original strain.
The Council Leader and the Cabinet Member responsible for education and skills have written to the Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, urging him to make teaching staff, schools and early years and nursery staff a priority in receiving the Covid-19 vaccination.
In a joint letter Cllrs George Duggins and Kevin Maton hail the “incredible contribution” those staff have made throughout the pandemic and the role they continue to play in helping the country fight back..
There is concern about a new scam using texts and emails, which has been reported in the media.
As part of the scam a person receives a text saying they need to book a vaccination appointment via a link, which takes them to a fake NHS form asking for their bank details to prove their identity.
There is concern that those most in need of vaccine may be most vulnerable to such manipulation.
|
A community engagement approach with over 200 volunteers, has been praised by the Local Government Association (LGA) and highlighted as good practice.
The Community Messengers project, led by Andrea Buckley of Coventry City Council, has helped relay important messages about COVID-19 to the many different communities in the city and make them relevant through a network of volunteers.
The project, which started in the summer, has successfully used faith, voluntary, charity and community group networks to get relevant and timely messages into the heart of different communities.
To stay up to date with all the latest news about how our services have been impacted by the lockdown, please visit our website.
If you run a business in the city, the current COVID-19 situation is likely to be very concerning.
A wide range of advice and support can be found on our website, including advice on fraud prevention, details about available grants and much more.
The COVID-19 situation is throwing up many challenges for us all.
If you or someone you know needs support and advice, please direct them to our website.
You can also find a range of other advice services (both local and national) near the bottom of this newsletter.
Thirty properties have been let thanks to a new rent guarantee scheme in Coventry which provides more permanent affordable tenancies for homeless families.
Let’s Rent Coventry encourages private landlords to provide a tenancy at an affordable price and matches potential tenants, with landlords who have properties to let.
Officers in the Council’s Homeless and Homelessness Team set up the scheme, and they are keen to sign up more private landlords.
|
We would like to know your views on a series of spending and savings proposals for the Council’s 2021/22 budget.
The main aim of the proposals is to preserve frontline services despite the ongoing challenge of Coronavirus.
Resident's can share their views on the proposals by filling out the survey on our Let's Talk website.
|
Feraru Dynamics launched its Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAV-Sentry) glove in 2020 after two years of developing prototypes and completing validation tests.
The business received a grant of £11,992 from the Coventry and Warwickshire Innovation Programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. They have developed the wearable device after being in touch with the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and securing funding from Coventry City Counci
|
Rising to the challenges of the pandemic is at the heart of three special awards for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Forming part of the inaugural Foodie Awards 2021, in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and Visit Coventry, they are a celebration of the best of the region’s food and drink scene as they re-emerge from a year of lockdowns.
What to do if you feel unwell, or live with someone who is unwell
Stay at home if you have either:
- A high temperature – you feel hot to touch on your chest or back
- A new, continuous cough – this means you've started coughing repeatedly
- Loss or change in sense or smell or taste
You can find more information and advice about COVID-19 on the NHS website. The page is being updated regularly and is the best place to go for the latest health information.
Self-isolation guidance and social distancing guidance is available in other languages.
Further updates from the Government
For latest national updates and wider advice on COVID-19, please visit the Government website.
You can receive free and impartial advice on a range of matters from organisations including:
|
