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Hello,
We hope that you and your teams are staying safe and well during this incredibly difficult start to the year. We've got two important updates for businesses in Lambeth, on testing for staff who are still travelling into work, and on the grants which were announced last week by the Government.
The Covid-19 situation in Lambeth
Cases are continuing to rise in Lambeth, the latest 7-day rate of Covid-19 was 1,019 per 100,000 people, which is very high. Cases are increasing across all age groups and ethnicities and worryingly in the over 60s population. Of those tested nearly 1 in 3 have Covid-19. Admissions to hospital for Covid-19 remain high and continue to increase quickly especially for intensive care unit beds. Sadly, a small number of deaths have been reported recently and this number is expected to rise.
If you have Coronavirus symptoms, book a test at: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119.
Information on Covid-19 self isolation support payments is available on our website.
Regular testing for frontline staff and people who cannot work from home
Regular, rapid Covid-19 testing for people without Covid-19 symptoms is now available to people who live or work in Lambeth. We are particularly encouraging people who are at higher risk of being exposed to Covid-19 to get tested regularly, this includes people who are unable to work from home.
This testing is important as 1 in 3 people with Covid-19 do not show any symptoms. If you or your staff are unable to work from home, you should get a rapid Covid-19 test once a week so that anyone who has Covid-19 without knowing can quickly self-isolate and protect others from catching the virus. If your staff live in other boroughs, they can get a test in Lambeth or check their council’s website to book a test locally as other London Councils are also offering this service.
Find out more and book a test
Business Grants Update
The council will pay the new grants announced last week by Government as quickly as possible. However, we are still awaiting guidance from Government before payments can be made.
Any businesses which have already been approved for a grant for the November lockdown or since tiers were introduced will not need to reapply. The council is working through our records to make sure that eligible businesses get the money they are entitled to as quickly as possible.
With eight different schemes to currently administer, we appreciate your patience whilst we work through these changes to grants and await the required guidance and funding. As soon as there are any further updates, we will share them via this bulletin, and will update our dedicated Covid-19 business pages at www.lambeth.gov.uk/covid19businesses.
We understand that the number and complexity of grants may be confusing. To find out more about what grants are currently available, please visit: www.lambeth.gov.uk/covid19businesses.
Kind regards,
Lambeth Local Economy Team
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