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Playgrounds re-opening, more School Streets announced, and keep doing your bit for Islington

Islington Council sent this bulletin at 09-07-2020 03:00 PM BST

Playgrounds in Islington to start reopening today

Playgrounds in Islington will start to reopen today, Thursday (9 July), as the borough continues to get back up-and-running following the covid-19 lockdown.

All 187 of Islington’s playgrounds will soon reopen, with all those in parks set to open again by Saturday (11 July).

Council staff have been working hard to carry out deep cleans, safety checks and repairs to ensure that they are as safe as possible for children and their parents before re-opening.

26 more School Streets by end of 2020

The council is rapidly accelerating the rollout of its pioneering School Streets programme – with a further 26 schools set to benefit before the end of the year. School Streets reduce traffic outside schools at drop-off and pick-up times and help to create quieter, safer environments for children by reducing road danger and improving air quality at the school gates.

The new School Streets will be introduced as part of the council’s wider efforts to create people-friendly streets, improve air quality, and facilitate social distancing in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Continue to do your bit for Islington

Since lockdown has begun to ease, we have seen an escalation in loud parties, gatherings across the borough and littering in Islington’s parks. Frontline staff and key workers are doing their bit in challenging circumstances to keep Islington safe, but we all need to work together.

Coronavirus is still a reality - the virus hasn’t gone away so we need to help keep each other safe and avoid a local lockdown. Please do your bit by keeping a safe distance from each other, binning your litter or taking it home, and respecting those around you by keeping the noise down.

You must also do the following:

Do not leave your home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus and arrange to get a test
Do not use public transport for unnecessary travel
If you must travel to work, cycle or walk if you can
Wear a face covering in enclosed spaces, including shops and public transport
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport; use sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
Carry tissues and use them to catch a cough or sneeze; then bin the tissue, and wash hands or use sanitiser gel
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
Avoid close contact with people who are unwell

More staying safe info

Safe and phased reopening of libraries planned from 27 July

To make sure we can keep you and our staff safe we are planning to reopen in phases:

From 27 July – 8 August: returns only. Central and Finsbury libraries will be open to enable the thousands of books currently out on loan to be returned to us.
From 10 August – 29 August: click or call and collect. You will be able to search our online catalogue or call us to reserve a book and collect it from either Central, Finsbury or Archway libraries. You will also be able to book PCs and study spaces at Central Library.
Opening times will be from 11am-4pm, Monday to Friday and 11am-5pm on Saturdays

From September onwards, we hope to open more libraries for browsing and choosing books, to borrow PCs and for study space but we will limit numbers. We also hope to open our Local History Centre at this point too.

Further details

Join Leader's Question Time

Next Friday (17 July), at 12noon, council leader Cllr Richard Watts will be taking your questions live on Facebook. He'll explain what the latest Government announcements mean for Islington and the steps the council is taking to keep residents safe, as well as answering questions about the council and its services.

Playgrounds re-opening, more School Streets announced, and keep doing your bit for Islington

Playgrounds in Islington to start reopening today

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