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3 June 2020
Know the rules, follow them, save lives
Groups of up to six people from different households can now meet outside, provided they stay two metres apart from each other. This can include in gardens and private outdoor spaces, as long as the two metre distancing is maintained. However, they must not meet in each other’s homes. You may only enter another household to access the toilet or garden.
You should continue to stay alert and limit your contact with others. Staying at home is the easiest way to do this. The more people you have interactions with, the more chance the virus has to spread. Therefore, try to limit the number of people you see - especially over short periods of time. There are thousands of residents in the borough who remain extremely vulnerable should someone infect them.
Outdoor markets and car showrooms are also permitted to open this week.
Read the Government’s updated Q&A document on what you can and cannot do.
 The Government’s overarching guidance remains the same. Everyone must:
- Stay at home as much as possible
- Work from home if you can
- Limit contact with other people
- Keep your distance if you go out (two metres apart where possible)
- Wash your hands regularly
Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms of a high temperature, or a new, continuous cough or a loss of, or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Mobile test centre available in Isleworth this Sunday and Monday
The mobile coronavirus test centres form an essential part of the national testing programme and will be available again this Sunday and Monday.
When: Sunday 7 June and Monday 8 June 10.30am-3.30pm
Where: Grasshoppers’ Rugby Club, Syon Lane, Osterley, Isleworth, TW7 5PN.
There is a mixture of walk-in and drive-through appointments at this test centre. You can book your appointment via the NHS website.
You must register via the gov.uk portal before attending a mobile testing unit and bring your 16-digit code or appointment confirmation with you on your mobile phone. Tests should be taken within five days of developing symptoms as this is when the test is most accurate.
Criteria for testing:
Anyone over the age of five who is symptomatic is now able to receive a test at one of the testing centres.
Coronavirus symptoms are:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough
- a loss of or change to your sense of smell or taste
This test can tell you if you have coronavirus at the time the swab sample is taken. The test to tell if you’ve ever had coronavirus (‘antibody test’) is not available yet.
Booking appointments and requesting a walk –in appointment:
If you would like a walk-in appointment at the mobile testing centre, please put “unknown” in the box requiring your vehicle registration number. This should allow you to continue the booking process.
If you have any problems refer to the helpline detailed below, or you can use the 16-digit authorisation code that is sent to you via SMS and go to the testing centre anytime on foot or in a car between 10.30am and 3.30pm where local authority staff will help you.
Alternative testing provision
Please note that if an appointment is not available at the Grasshoppers’ site then the same testing criteria apply for bookings at the Twickenham testing site, and they operate seven days a week. They do however only offer drive-in appointments.
There are also home testing kits available, bookable via the same NHS website.
Questions or problems
If anyone has any problems booking via the portal, please contact the National Coronavirus Testing Helpline on 0300 303 2713.
If you have any questions about testing, please contact publichealth@hounslow.gov.uk.
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Hounslow stands united against racism
The tragic and unnecessary killing of George Floyd in Minnesota last week has caused widespread anger and dismay across the world. We are against all forms of prejudice, discrimination, violence and injustice.
Alongside many councils, we marked George Floyd’s death by lighting up Hounslow House purple yesterday to show our solidarity with black people in the UK and across the world..Read the statement from Cllr Katherine Dunne, Cabinet Member for Communities and Climate Emergency.
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Clean hands protect against infection
Washing our hands more regularly is the most effective way to protect ourselves from contracting the coronavirus and helps to keep others safe too.
Protect yourself by:
- Cleaning your hands regularly.
- Washing your hands with soap and water and drying them thoroughly.
- Washing your hands for the amount of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice (around 20 seconds).
- Using alcohol-based hand sanitiser, if you don’t have immediate access to soap and water.
It is important to wash your hands more often, especially:
- when you get to work or arrive home
- after you blow your nose, cough or sneeze
- before you eat or handle food
You can watch the NHS video on how to effectively wash your hands here.
If you suffer from eczema or skin dryness due to frequent washing of your hands, then you can follow the tips here to help minimise any irritation to your skin.
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Alcohol based hand sanitiser is flammable – safety advice
With the recent coronavirus outbreak, we are using more hand sanitisers.
Alcohol based sanitiser is a class 3 highly flammable substance and if left in a place where it is exposed to high temperatures it has the potential to set on fire
It has also been noted that increased exposure to high temperatures also changes the chemical properties of alcohol-based sanitisers making them less effective, so keep hand sanitisers out of direct sunlight and ideally store in cool places.
Here are some safety precautions and tips to follow:
- Do not carry any hand sanitiser in an exposed part of a vehicle like dashboards and near windows, that is likely to attract strong sunlight or high temperatures.
- Try to minimise the risk by avoiding carrying hand sanitiser where it is difficult to control the temperature exposure.
- Keep hand sanitisers away from naked flames and sources of ignition.
Where hand sanitiser is used in an office or in a site environment, then these must be stored in appropriate conditions and away from direct sunlight, heat source, electrical sockets or any other source of ignition.
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Volunteers Week
This Volunteers’ Week we are celebrating the selfless acts of kindness that have made a huge difference to the lives of residents, including some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents since the outbreak of coronavirus
Many volunteers came forward to offer their support and help the Community Hub support hundreds of people every week with shopping, collecting prescriptions, helping to pack and deliver food parcels or just simply having someone to talk to while isolating.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all of you for your efforts in supporting the most vulnerable residents in the borough, during these difficult times. We are stronger together and we will get through this!
Call your neighbour and share helpful advice
Not all of your neighbours have access to the internet to find guidance on the coronavirus pandemic. Why not help share the information to ensure everyone gets the support they need?
Pick up the phone and tell your neighbours how they can stay safe, find financial support, get food assistance, learn about service disruptions and much more.
Please refer to our Coronavirus webpages for the latest advice and tips you can pass on to someone offline.
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Support the Gunnersbury fundraising appeal
The charity Gunnersbury Estate (2026) is responsible for managing and maintaining Gunnersbury Park & Museum.
They have a launched a fundraising appeal after severe losses to funding following the devastating, fire which destroyed its café last week.
Gunnersbury is now facing the double whammy of the lost income from both coronavirus and the recent fire to the café. They are forecasting a funding gap of £250k this year, and – unless the outlook changes - the closure of the organisation.
Please consider making an online donation to keep Gunnersbury thriving for you and our community, now and well into the future. Please donate here.
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EU settlement scheme
More than one million European Londoners and their families have now been granted status confirming that they have the right to stay in the UK after 30 June 2021.
However, it is important that you know how to maintain your status once it’s granted so you and your family don’t lose your right to stay in the UK.
There is guidance on the EU Londoners Hub to help you keep on top of your status.
If you have been granted settled status, you can spend up to five years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.
If you spend over this amount of time outside the UK without returning, your settled status will lapse. If this does occur and you wish to return to live in the UK, you will need to make a new application under a different immigration route.
Pre-settled status is a temporary status that is valid for five years. If you want to stay in the UK for longer than this, you must apply for settled status within that five-year period. If you spend more than two years outside the UK, your pre-settled status will lapse.
If you have any questions or problems, you should contact the Home Office EU Settlement Scheme Resolution Centre: 0300 123 7379.
You can find out more information on the EU Londoners Hub.
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Guidance for personal trainers and coaches
If you are a personal trainer/coach you can now work with clients outdoors, providing you are meeting no more than five other people from outside of your household, outdoors, and you are staying a minimum of two metres apart.
It is advised that you can meet with different clients in a single day as long as it is in gatherings of no more than six and you are maintaining social distancing. You should not spend time with anyone not from your household indoors.
You should also enforce strong hygiene measures. This might be cleaning any equipment rigorously in line with wider guidance on hygiene, for example, by using antiviral spray and washing hands thoroughly before and after use.
You can read the guidance on the Government’s website.
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Back to school and dealing with loss
Grief UK is an education and training organisation that teaches The Grief Recovery Method, a programme that helps people to learn how to move beyond death, divorce, and other losses.
They have designed resources that use ACEs-informed programme, helping children with loss, derived from the Grief Recovery Method, to help with the emotional responses of staff, children, and parents in response to lockdown restrictions.
There are a number of free resources available on their website which includes staff planners, useful posters which can also be shared digitally.
You can also find more resources, advice and articles on their Facebook page.
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Scam warning for businesses
Businesses are being warned of a new email scam being used to collect sensitive information from businesses and organisations, leading to potentially fraudulent applications for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grants in their names.
The emails pose as property or finance managers, using closure of premises or homeworking to request addresses, reference numbers or information on the premises' Extended Retail Discount.
Some of the emails appear to come from legitimate businesses, but upon closer inspection, the contact details are incorrect, and businesses are unaware of the messages being sent.
Please take extra care when receiving any requests for information, and always check the source before replying.
For more information on scams and staying alert at this time, visit our website.
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Staying safe online
With many people, including children and young people, spending more time than usual online at the moment, it’s important to ensure that we all remain safe.
Useful resources to help you stay safe online can be accessed on Age UK and Friends against Scams websites and they also have guidance on how to spot scams.
For children and young people being online is important for accessing educational materials and also as a means for them to stay in touch with friends and family. Although rare, increased online activity during a time of stress and isolation could be exploited by negative influences and online groomers of all kinds who target vulnerable children directly. An understanding of digital safety will help parents and carers safeguard loved ones from a range of harms including extremist views, sexual exploitation and fraud.
There are a range of resources to support parents/carers:
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Let’s Talk About It provides support for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation.
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UK Safer Internet Centre has guides on the privacy settings, parental controls and internet safety features of the major internet service providers.
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Parent Zone works with Prevent to provide digital safety advice for parents.
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Thinkuknow provides resources for parents and carers to help keep children safe online.
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Childnet has developed guidance for parents and carers to begin a conversation about online safety, and on keeping under-fives safe online.
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Online resources for health, education and wellbeing
New for adults, young people, children and families;
Mindful Walking MIND is encouraging mindful walking during National Walking Month.
Travel to Tokyo Team GB and Paralympics GB’s official, free programme for children aged 5-11 and their families.
Outdoor classroom Day is offering lots of lovely ideas and inspiration for playful nature and encouraging children to get outdoors.
Spotify is introducing Daily Wellness, a personalised mix of grounding motivational podcasts and feel-good music that can help you find positivity, mindfulness, or peace throughout your day.
#Daily Mile At Home is here to help children stay active with their parents/carers, 15 minutes of jogging or running, front door to front door, with some extra challenges along the way to keep everyone motivated.
Ordinance Survey Family Maps to Colour In are great for some stress-busting, free PDF to download to print at home.
Parasport has created accessible home workouts that are ideal for wheelchair users who are just getting started, or haven't been active for a while.
Couch to 5k is a nine-week running programme designed for complete beginners by the NHS.
Better on demand provides access to workouts for free on the Better UK app, available from the Apple or Google Play stores. Enter BETTERFREE as the Club Access Code, club ref: Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub.
Joe Wicks also known as the Body Coach or, the nation’s PE teacher, is now offering virtual classes for seniors on his YouTube channel.
Make Movement your Mission designed by Later Life Training, includes a series of short online regular movement sessions done either in a chair or standing holding onto a support.
Mind’s guide for young people is available with information for young people who are worried about coronavirus and want to know how to cope with changes to their lives.
Sport Impact works with schools across Hounslow to give pupils the best opportunities in PE, Sport and Health, as well as encouraging Leadership and Volunteering. The team has created some Stay at Home Challenges to support learning whilst in the home.
OurParks coaches Ange and Premika are encouraging exercise at home and workout sessions via their facebook or YouTube channel. Why not try Saturday 10am Live HIIT Workout.
Brentford FC Community Sports Trust has some great free fitness sessions for Hounslow residents including Pilates, Yoga and chair based exercise for over 60s, all part of their #BeeeatHome campaign.
Visit oneyouhounslow.org for more support and information.
Latest information and advice
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