Your questions answered
To make sure your questions get answered promptly by the team, please continue to send your questions directly to democratic.services@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Are there any updates in how to hold Covid secure public meetings?
With Covid cases increasing across the county, it’s important that we continue to minimise contact with others. This includes civic meetings that would usually take place in communal areas, for example, a community centre or village hall.
In line with Government advice, wherever possible, public meetings should continue to take place virtually. When that is impossible and you have to meet face to face, there are a number of steps you must take to ensure your meeting is Covid secure:
- Ensure that the venue you are using has carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment
- Make sure measures are in place to maximise social distancing guidelines, including strict adherence to two metres or one metre (where two metres is not viable) and face coverings are worn
- All surfaces, especially ‘touch points’ including door handles, grab rails and taps should be cleaned regularly
- Keep track of those who are in the meeting for test and trace purposes. Records should be kept for 21 days
- Ensure car parking arrangements mean that people can easily remain socially distanced
¹ The above data reflects nationally published data available here.
² This section contains information on deaths of patients who have died in hospitals in Gloucestershire and had tested positive for Covid-19 at time of death or where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. All deaths are recorded against the date of death rather than the date the deaths were announced. It is based on national NHS data published here.
³ Weekly death figures provide provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales for which data are available. From 31 March 2020 these figures also show the number of deaths involving coronavirus (Covid-19), based on any mention of Covid-19 on the death certificate. Figures by place of death may differ to previously published figures due to improvements in the way we code place of death. This figure does not include deaths of those resident outside England and Wales or those records where the place of residence is either missing or not yet fully coded. For this reason counts may differ to published figures when summed. Bank Holidays could affect the number of registrations made within those weeks.
⁴ Care homes vary in size and in the characteristics of their residents. Outbreak data is also being reported publicly here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/covid-19-number-of-outbreaks-in-care-homes-management-information. The figures here are slightly lower than our local figures due to a time lag. The number of cases (confirmed or suspected) has not been reported due to limitations in data accuracy which means comparison is not possible. This information is being used for operational purposes. As testing in care homes increases we will review whether adding this information will add additional strategic insight.
⁵ CQC publish figures on deaths where Covid-19 was suspected in the notification from the care home, as well as all cause mortality (since 10 April 2020). It is probable that not all deaths due to Covid-19 will be notified as such, conversely Covid-19 may be mentioned but not have been a contributory factor in a death). While CQC numbers are more comprehensive than local reporting, they are not currently reported by district council.
⁶ Please note that there is a possibility of last minute changes if the MTU’s are diverted to assist with outbreak control both in this county or elsewhere.
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