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Wednesday 27 January 2021 (Update #173)
 It would not be right to begin today's newsletter without reflecting on the grim milestone reached yesterday with more than 100,000 deaths in the UK due to this awful COVID-19 pandemic.
Havering, due to its geographic location and the age profile of its population has been particularly badly hit, exacerbated in recent weeks by the rise of a more deadly and infectious variant of the virus that orginated in the South East of England.
Sadly, and despite huge advances in medical knowledge and improved treatments for COVID-sufferers, high infection rates inevitably lead to a high death toll and it was only a few weeks ago that Havering had the highest infection rate in England.
If you have suffered a loss in your family, or among your friends or work colleagues, you have my sincere condolences.
It is a challenging time for all and the Council, along with our wonderful partners in the NHS, Police and voluntary sector are doing everything they can to minimise infection rates and encourage compliance with the Government rules designed to keep us safe, protect the NHS, and save lives.
With the death toll being so high locally, I echo the words of the Chief Executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Tony Chambers, when he said this week that he was at times "flabbergasted that many people still do not seem to take the virus seriously, and ignore the rules."
The case of a baby shower party held in Hornchurch that hit the national headlines earlier this week, shows that there are some people in Havering who still don't understand why social distancing is vitally important to reduce the horrendous death toll.
Please do your bit and follow the rules.
Fortunately better days are ahead with the vaccine roll-out and I was delighted to hear that last week the 10,000th person to receive a jab at Queen’s Hospital's Vaccination Hub went through their doors.
Please do your bit and encourage everyone to take up a vaccination when it is offered as that will reduce the pressure on the NHS. Join our online public meeting tomorrow if you have questions about the vaccine. Read more on this below.
You can also encourage anyone who can't work from home to get tested. Earlier today I visited one of the rapid testing centres in Havering at Harold Wood Library. As I discovered when I was tested, the Lateral Flow Test test is quick, painless and free. More details later in this bulletin.
Please stay safe.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
 Over the coming weeks, there will be information available to help answer any concerns and questions you may have about COVID-19 vaccinations.
This includes an online public meeting organised by Havering Council with local health professionals tomorrow, Thursday 28 January, from 4pm.
Find out about the vaccination roll-out and what is happening locally to help reduce COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations.
Information on the vaccine is available in a variety of languages and the COVID-19 vaccinations used in the UK have been endorsed by the British Islamic Medical Association.
The NHS's East London Health and Care Partnership also have a website with information on the coronavirus vaccine, including answers to many frequently asked questions.
If you are in any of the first four priority groups for receiving the vaccine, but have not yet been contacted by the NHS, please remember that contact from the NHS for COVID-19 vaccination may come by phone call, letter or text but will definitely NOT be by email. COVID-19 vaccination is free.
Any email you receive offering you a vaccine is a scam.
Where there are postal delays in certain areas, NHS surgeries will be calling individuals as well as using text and letters to make contact regarding vaccination.
Our local NHS services aim to have offered a vaccine to all residents in care homes for older adults and staff, as well as all over-80s, by this Sunday (31 January).
NHS vaccinators have started visiting housebound patients over 80. They are also contacting everyone aged 70 and over, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, but this process will take until late February.
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.
It is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and between 11am and 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays for emergencies only.
You can also email us if you, or someone you know, needs help.
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 Every Wednesday Havering Council publishes a report on coronavirus in the borough on its website.
The graph above is taken from the report and shows the number of Havering residents testing positive for coronavirus each week since 6 March. Until 2 July the figures did not include widespread testing in the community.
There were 1,162 cases reported in the last week, 614 less than the previous week. This equates to an incidence rate of 448 new cases per 100,000 population which is lower than the London average (489/100,000) but higher than that for the whole of England (382/100,000).
However, underscoring how dangerous this coronavirus pandemic remains, deaths in Havering in the week ending 15 January were the highest since it began, as the graph below shows.
 As of 25 January there were 384 inpatients admitted due to COVID-19 occupying beds at our local hospitals. The trust that runs those hospitals, BHRUT, also publishes weekly data on the number of patients it is treating.
 One in three people get COVID-19 and have no symptoms, passing it on to others without realising.
That could be you. You can now find out if you are risking spreading the virus to your family, work colleagues, or customers, by taking advantage of free, local, rapid testing at any of these three locations:
- Collier Row Library, 45 Collier Row Road, Romford RM5 3NR
- Elm Park Library, St Nicholas Avenue, Elm Park RM12 4PT
- Harold Wood Library, Arundel Road, Harold Wood RM3 0RX.
These rapid, Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) centres are open from 10am to 7pm seven days a week.
Of course, it also remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
Click for details of all types of local testing locations and opening hours.
 Today is Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Holocaust Memorial Trust are encouraging the nation to light the darkness by lighting a candle and putting it in your window at 8pm.
Immediately afterwards you can upload pictures of your candle and share to our Facebook or Twitter pages using the hashtags #HolocaustMemorialDay or #LightTheDarkness.
The theme of this year’s Memorial Day is ‘Be The Light In The Darkness’.
This theme asks us to consider different kinds of ‘darkness’, for example, identity-based persecution, misinformation, denial of justice; and different ways of ‘being the light’, for example, resistance, acts of solidarity, rescue and illuminating mistruths.
You can also still view Havering’s Holocaust Memorial Service online.
 Next week is Children's Mental Health week.
Experiencing mental health issues can feel isolating, but it's important to reach out if you feel like you or your children are struggling.
The pandemic has affected us all in different ways, and it is only normal to feel uncertain about what the future holds.
The stress of this uncertainty and the new challenges we have had to face has had an impact on the mental health of many.
With limited contact with our friends, family, community and colleagues, taking care of our mental health and wellbeing has never been more important.
There are many local services that can help and an example of that is the bereavement counselling offered by Saint Francis Hospice and you can read more about that below.
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, you and your family members (including children and non-EU citizens) need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK beyond 30 June 2021.
Even if you have lived in the UK for many years or you have a UK permanent residence document you still need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
You do not need to apply if you are an Irish citizen or if you have indefinite leave to remain or enter, but you can if you want to.
The EU Settlement Scheme allows you and your family members to get the immigration status you need to continue to live, work and study in the UK beyond 30 June 2021.
This status means you can continue to be eligible for:
- public services, such as healthcare and schools
- public funds and pensions
- British citizenship, if you meet the requirements and want to apply
Alternatively, you can apply for help to return to your home country. This is known as ‘voluntary return’.
You can still get help if you’re already making your own plans to return to your home country.
If you’re eligible for financial support, you can apply for up to £2,000 which you can use to find somewhere to live, find a job or start a business in your home country.
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Schools will continue to provide remote education until at least 8 March, and the key message for parents is that you are not alone, and you should keep in touch with your school and seek help if you need it.
Teachers and staff are working hard to overcome barriers of digital access, for example, lack of a laptop or suitable electronic device.
Havering schools may also provide their own laptops to those families most in need. If you don’t have access to a laptop, speak to your school about the different forms of remote education that are available, such as printed resources or textbooks, which will supplement other forms of communication to keep your child on track.
Some children and young people who have difficulty engaging in remote education, including those without a device, may be considered to be vulnerable, and therefore eligible to attend school in person.
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Many people have sadly suffered the death of a loved one due to COVID-19.
Havering-atte-Bower based, Saint Francis Hospice is offering virtual bereavement counselling to help local people whose loved one has died due to COVID-19.
The charity’s Family Support team has set up the free and confidential service thanks to funding from Hospice UK.
It is hoping to reach out to all, including the most vulnerable people in the community such as the elderly, along with the black and Asian communities, who have been hardest hit by the virus.
Three qualified volunteers, together with the Family Support team, will be available to provide therapeutic support to people over video or telephone so they can acknowledge the death and work on their grief.
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Havering Council's Cabinet meets tonight (Wednesday night (27 January).
You can view the proceedings via our website and a live video stream.
The meeting will be a virtual one to ensure appropriate social distancing with most members joining the meeting via video link.
The agenda for the meeting, which starts at 7:30pm, includes a decision on proposals to spend £1.5million to make better use of Council buildings and land in order to make ongoing savings of £900,000 per year.
Also on the agenda is the next phase of the Council's Smart Working programme.
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Despite overall journey numbers being significantly reduced due to lockdown restrictions, cycling has increased by 22 per cent in outer London compared to spring 2019.
Transport for London (TfL) has published new cycle count data that shows increased levels of cycling in both inner and outer London last autumn, as people across the capital continued to use active travel as a vital way of getting around during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite a huge drop in the number of journeys being made overall as more people work from home and people only travel for legally permitted reasons, Londoners have been increasingly cycling to make essential trips and for exercise.
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If you are a sustainable business in Havering with green values and policies, the Thames Estuary Growth Board would love to hear from you to understand why you should become one of their Visionary businesses.
And, if you are not as green as you want to be, you can tell them about your challenges using their online form.
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