Coronavirus update: 5 June 2020

We’ve had another busy week with changes to lockdown taking place and new measures brought in by the government. We can now all meet with up to five friends or family members providing we stay outside, either in parks or gardens, but we must remember to keep two metres distance from anyone not in our own household.

There is positive news for our local businesses, more of them can start opening, providing they follow ‘Covid-19 secure guidelines’ and have systems in place for enabling customers and staff to keep to the two metres distance. We saw outdoor markets and car showrooms open from Monday, and from the 15 June more of our shops and businesses will be able to open. We must remember that it will start to get busier on the streets and on public transport. Transport for London (TfL) have today announced that you must use a face covering, this can be a fabric cover such as a scarf, when travelling on public transport from 15 June.

In order to help residents, businesses and visitors continue to get around the borough safely, and to encourage people to leave their cars at home, we will be continuing to open up more safe pedestrian and cycle routes,  to help enable people to keep their two metres distance. You can find out more about this here.   

On Monday some of our schools reopened for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Of our 53 primary schools, 24 of them reopened on Monday, and 26 more will be opening on Monday 8 June. All secondary schools bar one will be open from Monday. Please see the letter from Cllr Tom Bruce, Lead Member for Education, Children’s and Youth Services. We have also introduced help for teachers and school staff who may need to drive to work because of the restrictions on public transport, we have temporarily provided a discounted parking permit scheme for them for up to three months.  

Lockdown has been a very difficult time for businesses, and that’s why we have done our best to support them through the pandemic and will continue to do so. Some small and microbusinesses have missed out on the funds available from Government so far, and this has been recognised. We have been given £1.8m in funding to support small businesses, but this will only be enough to provide around 200 or so with funding. As a result, we are encouraging small businesses to sign up to our Covid-19 Business Recovery enewsletter so that we can give them priority notice when the application process goes live, and we will be demanding more funding from government so that we can help more of our businesses in the borough.

As a council, we have been giving a great deal of thought to how we harness all the positive things that have developed over the past few weeks, such as the great relationship with our diverse communities and partners; looking after 22,500 shielded residents and many more vulnerable residents through our hub; and the fantastic work of our NHS and frontline staff and everyone across the borough who has continued to work hard to put others first. Whilst it has been a very difficult time, there has been so much that has been good and heart-warming, and we have been working with our senior officers to develop how we move forward now - our Response and Recovery. I will be presenting a  a paper on Tuesday at our Cabinet Meeting on this matter. The paper considers all the difficulties we have gone through as a result of the pandemic, and will continue to need to manage, but also has many positives, setting the scene for our approach moving forwards, not just as a council, but as a borough. I would encourage you to look at the paper  – you can find it on our cabinet meetings on the website.

Have a great weekend, and stay safe

Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced face coverings will be mandatory on public transport from 15 June. 

Surgical masks will not be required and should only be utilised by front line NHS staff to protect themselves from coronavirus in healthcare settings. You can easily make suitable face coverings at home from t-shirts or socks. For some ideas on how to make a face covering visit the TfL website. 

Fines will be in place for anyone that refuses to comply with this new guidance on the public transport network. There are exemptions for very young children, disabled people and anyone with breathing difficulties.  

With more people using transport, the evidence suggests wearing face coverings offers some protection against the spread for the virus. Front line staff such as bus drivers will also be required to wear face coverings. 

It is advisable to always wash your hands before and after using face coverings. You can read further guidance about face coverings on the TfL website. 

You can find out more about the announcement on the Government's website.

From Monday 15 June 2020, all customers with an Older Person’s Freedom Pass, 60+ Oyster photocard or English National Concessionary Scheme pass can only travel for free after 9am on weekdays, and at any time on weekends and bank holidays. If travel before 9am is essential, we advise pass holders to travel using pay as you go with a contactless card or mobile device, or an Oyster card.

Disabled Freedom Pass holders are unaffected by these changes and will still be able to travel at all times using their pass.

We are working hard to ensure those who have no option other than to travel using public transport can do so safely. Given the national requirement to maintain two metre social distancing, the capacity of buses and trains is hugely reduced. These temporary changes to the Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card pass during morning peak travel will help reduce the risk of crowding when it would be more difficult to maintain social distancing. 

We will communicate these changes directly to affected customers before they are implemented. We have been working closely with London Councils as they manage the Freedom Pass Scheme in London. If you have any queries about the changes to the Freedom Pass specifically, please contact London Council’s helpline on 0300 330 1433.

You can visit our website for information. 

Many of us have explored new areas in our communities and tried new outdoor activities throughout this time, maybe you’ve explored different parks or started cycling. Have you enjoyed these activities? If so, what aspects have you enjoyed the most? Outdoor exercise is good for both our physical and mental health and wellbeing.

As we begin to come out of lockdown, we have an opportunity to design new daily routines and we want to encourage you to think about how you can incorporate this daily form of outdoor exercise into your ‘new normal.’ You could incorporate active travel into your commute or take advantage of any extra time at home to develop more confidence in cycling or other physical activity routines. Cycling or walking also helps to maintain social distancing and improve air quality which will help protect our essential workers and vulnerable residents.

A few of the many things the council has done to support you to keep active and continue outdoor exercise: 

We are keeping our parks and open spaces open and safe

We have worked hard to ensure safety and social distancing measures were in place so people can enjoy them for a walk or exercise during these challenging times. Walk and cycle to parks if you can.

We are offering Free Cycle Training and Servicing 

We will be offering free 1:1 cycle training for those who wish to switch, as well as promoting the Government’s cycle to work scheme, a subsidised bike loan scheme, enabling participants to make substantial savings on the cost of buying a bike and equipment and spread the cost of the purchase through a salary sacrifice scheme. You can also get your bike checked to ensure it is safe to ride.

We are closing roads to keep you safe

A range of traffic-management measures are being rolled out across Hounslow to help keep pedestrians and cyclists healthy and safe during the coronavirus pandemic. If you can, walk or cycle instead of using public transport or cars.

We are providing free physical activity sessions and activities

Not only does physical activity benefit our physical health it can be great for our mental health too.One You Hounslow offers a wide range of activities where ever you are in you physical activity journey. Use the time you used to spend commuting to join one of sessions to keep active at home.

Join Brentford Community Trust’s Talent Show

This week, Watermans launched its brand new online programme for children and young people with disabilities. They are working in partnership with our Short Breaks programme. Watermans usually delivers a busy year-round programme of activities for these children and their families but now, it will all take place via Zoom and other online platforms.

The ten-week programme features workshops with International Magician of the Year-winner, US magician Kevin Spencer, movement specialist Bill Leslie and African Drummer Sandra Dyer, as well as exclusive digital children's theatre shows every weekend. Bringing this programme online to meet the needs of families with disabled children has been a complex project, but Watermans realised early on that this was a group that would face additional challenges during lockdown and would need activities. Most excitingly, this online programme is something Watermans envisages developing and maintaining after lockdown is long gone so that even children with special needs, who find it difficult to get out of the house at the best of times, can benefit from creativity and the arts.

Read about more about the programme on their website.