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Friday 8 January 2021 (Update #165)
 We are now in a national lockdown and this morning London's Mayor declared a "major incident" in the capital due to rising coronavirus case numbers threatening to overwhelm London's hospitals.
You must now stay at home as much as possible.
Only leave your home for specific reasons, such as shopping for essential items and medicine, to travel to work (but only if you cannot work from home), to seek medical help, get tested for COVID-19, to get vaccinated if you are invited by the NHS, or to escape domestic abuse.
Full details of what you can and cannot do are published on the Government’s website.
I know this lockdown will mean an incredibly tough time for businesses already reeling from the impact of the pandemic in 2020 and limited Christmas trading.
I thank you for continuing to play your part in saving lives and protecting our NHS.
We have very sadly taken the decision to close all of our library buildings from tonight because of the very large number of COVID-19 cases in the borough. More details below.
As important as I know libraries are to the cultural life of our borough, borrowing a book is not an essential journey. Many of you will be able to use the brilliant selection of ebooks and digital magazines from our online library, and our popular baby bounce and book sessions will continue online.
In the meantime, orange recycling sacks will be available from outside the libraries that are not being used for COVID-19 testing. You can get orange sacks at Harold Hill, Hornchurch, Romford, Rainham and Upminster libraries but please use the sacks you’ve been delivered first and make sure you crush down plastic items to maximise use of the sacks.
If you want to contact me directly, email me. However, please be patient as there may be a delay of a day or two in getting back to you due to the volume of messages I am receiving.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
If you, or someone you know, has concerns around care, urgent issues with their health and wellbeing or lack of access to supplies, including food, please call our free to use helpline: 0800 368 5201.
You can also email us if you, or someone you know, needs help.
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If you have previously shielded, or have since been notified by the Government that you are classed as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable you can register on the National Database (NSSS) for support, including access to supermarket delivery, or click and collect slots.
You can order your repeat medication without needing to go to a GP surgery or pharmacy by using the NHS app or using your GP online services.
Most pharmacies also provide a free delivery service for patients who are shielding during the lockdown period.
You should contact your pharmacy to discuss this.
You can also contact the NHS by calling 111 for further help. It is important to continue to attend any medical appointments that you have.
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Due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the borough Havering Council has announced that its libraries will close from today (Friday 8 January) and will remain closed until at least mid-February.
Fines have been suspended since March 2020 so don’t worry about any books you may have at your home.
The library service will continue to deliver to housebound residents during this lockdown and will also put on a range of online events to keep people connected and entertained.
If you need more orange sacks for your home recycling waste then they will be available for collection outside Harold Hill, Hornchurch, Rainham, Romford and Upminster libraries, but please only take the sacks if you really need them.
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Havering Council is providing free school meals for the most vulnerable pupils during lockdown.
As we did back in March, our schools catering service will be providing meals for pupils in schools, as well as providing meal packs for families where children are already eligible for free school meals.
Schools will be in touch with parents to arrange this.
To support remote education, Havering’s schools will also be providing printed resources, such as textbooks and workbooks, to structure learning, as well as distributing laptops and other devices to local families most in need to help with the switch to remote education.
Children can also use other devices they may have at home, such as games consoles and tablets to access remote learning resources, and some schools are providing additional equipment (such as keyboards) to help with this where needed.
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Havering Volnteer Centre needs 200 Havering Heroes.
Are you ready to be part of the biggest vaccination drive in Britain’s history?
200 people are required to support the safe and smooth running of vaccination sites across the borough.
The NHS needs people to guide elderly residents to the entry point of either Raphael House, Pettits Lane or Hornchurch Library, remind those attending the vaccination centres to keep socially-distanced and to wear face masks, to observe people who have been vaccinated for 15 minutes and then support residents to exit the building safely.
If you think you can help register your details and availability on the Havering Community Hub Havering Volunteer App or contact the Havering Volunteer Centre by email or by calling 01708 922214.
Once you have registered your interest, a vaccination site coordinator will be in touch with you.
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If you have COVID-19 symptoms, there a number of testing centres across Havering you can use.
You can book a test online or call 119.
Rapid testing for anyone without COVID-19 symptoms who can't work from home, essential retail workers, and tradespeople who enter other people's homes, is also available at Elm Park and Harold Wood libraries.
If you don't have symptoms of coronavirus but you are worried that you may have been exposed to the virus you can also book a test online. Please select the option 'My local council or health protection team has asked me (or someone I live with) to get a test, even though I do not have symptoms' in the form when prompted.
See our website for details of all testing locations and opening hours.
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Today (8 January) a third COVID-19 vaccine, made by pharmaceutical company Moderna, has been approved for use in the UK.
Dr Anna Riddell, a Consultant Virologist at Barts Health NHS Trust, answers some common questions about COVID-19 vaccines so you can make an informed choice regarding vaccination.
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 COVID-19 vaccinations are free.
The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
They will never ask for bank/card details, PIN or banking passwords.
Please share this information with friends and family who may be at risk, or who are over 80 and expecting to receive a vaccine shortly.
Trust for London is an independent charitable foundation funding work which tackles poverty and inequality in the capital.
It is particularly interested in new and imaginative ways of addressing the root causes of London’s social problems, and has seven funding programmes available with up to £150k for each project.
Havering Compact Forum, which brings together local voluntary organisatons, charities and the Council, will hold an online meeting on Thursday (14 January) with Trust for London to learn more.
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Despite the COVID-19 national restrictions, you should still go to hospital in a serious or life-threatening emergency, or if you feel very unwell.
You should also continue to attend appointments for ongoing treatment, unless you have been told not to.
Otherwise, you should only visit your GP, hospital or other NHS care provider in person if you have been told to do so by a healthcare professional. This helps to keep you safe, keep others safe, and protect the NHS.
For urgent medical advice, the NHS 111 online website will tell you when and where to get help, and can arrange for you to be contacted by a nurse if needed.
Only call 111 if you are unable to get help online. In an emergency, dial 999.
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If you’re visiting our parks, remember that if your children use any play equipment, they should not put their mouths on it.
Hand sanitiser should be applied before and after they use any climbing frames and swings.
Please also follow social distancing guidelines when walking on pathways, and use bins for any masks, gloves or empty sanitiser bottles.
Please be respectful of other park users, and the pace of some disabled or elderly people, and help keep yourself and others safe while enjoying our parks.
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The Skills Toolkit is an online platform giving access to free, high quality digital, numeracy and employability courses to help people build up their skills, progress in work and boost job prospects.
It is open to everyone, whether they are out of work or thinking about changing jobs, have just graduated or left full time education and are starting their career, or if they’re just keen to keep their mind healthy and busy.
All courses are flexible and online, ranging from a few weeks to a few hours, so learners can top up their skills at a time and place that suits them.
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Collections of black sack rubbish and orange sack recycling waste continue on a revised schedule until Monday 18 January.
Please don't put your black and orange sacks out until 7am on the morning of your revised collection day as this minimises the risk of animals ripping bags open and causing littering.
If you have run out of orange sacks for recycling you can use any other clear bag or collect more orange sacks from outside main libraries in the borough.
Bulky waste collections will start again on Monday (11 January).
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During this national lockdown the waste and recycling centre at Gerpins Lane will remain open BUT you should only make essential journeys to it if, for example, you have dangerous or hazardous waste at home, or nowhere that you can store items until the national restrictions are lifted.
Queues should be expected, and visitors should be considerate of other road users.
Residents visiting the Gerpins Lane site must wear a face covering, observe social distancing on site, and wash or sanitise their hands before and after using the facilities.
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If your child is aged between 3 and 4 years old, they are due to start at an infant or primary school in September 2021.
Applications are open now and will close on Friday,15 January.
If you live in Havering you can apply using our website.
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Carriageway resurfacing work will be taking place in Brentwood Road at the Drill Roundabout from Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 January.
This will be followed by the laying of high friction surfacing to the roundabout approaches between 27 and 29 January.
Straight Road in Harold Hill between Gallows Corner junction and Faringdon Avenue will be resurfaced from 13 to 15 January. During these overnight works Straight Road will be closed to southbound traffic.
Repairs to a bus stop and resurfacing work in Collier Row Road, Romford will also take place between 18 and 26 January.
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Due to Network Rail undertaking engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c trains will not run on the Rainham line this Sunday (10 January).
Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
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