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Wednesday 10 February 2021 (Update #179)
 I hope you are keeping warm and safe as the cold weather persists.
Havering Council staff have been out again this morning gritting main routes around the borough when needed, so key workers and others having to make essential journeys, can do so, as safely as possible.
Please, though, do not make any journeys that are not essential as everyone should continue to observe the Government's advice to combat the spread of coronavirus and the nasty new COVID-19 variants that have been the focus of so much media coverage in recent days.
You can see the list of the priority routes for our gritting trucks on our website.
Roads on the priority one routes are done first and, based on time and the conditions, we move on to the priority two roads. In addition, our street cleansing teams are gritting pavements outside shops and schools. Unfortuately, they can’t tackle every street but are doing their best.
I was delighted to hear that ambassadors from the Romford BID are joining our COVID Marshals team where they will play a key role in our front-line response to tackling this terrible virus. Their local knowledge will be an important addition in helping us to do just that. You can read more on this later in this bulletin.
Tomorrow afternoon I will be part of another online question and answer session for our local businesses. We will be talking about support for businesses, grant payments and free rapid testing for staff who meet the public during the course of their work. See below for more details. Please do register to attend if there is anything you want to ask me or Council officers.
We are still in a national lockdown and the rule to stay at home remains in place, including over the February half term break. There is no doubt that it is tough, but as lots of people may have time off and children have a break from school work, it’s really important that we all stay local, do not travel around the country and don’t mix households.
Travelling to second homes or holiday homes is still not permitted. Staying home and taking our daily exercise locally remain two of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of the virus and help protect our NHS.
Continuing to respect ‘Hands, Face, Space’ is also very important - washing hands frequently and as soon as you come in from the outside, wearing a face covering in all applicable settings and staying two metres away from people outside of your household wherever possible.
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.
Please stay safe.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
It is vital that as many people as possible take up the vaccine when it is offered in order to break the spread of COVID-19 and prevent hospitalisations and deaths.
More than 41,600 people in Havering – and over 1.2 million people in London – have had the Covid vaccine so far, in the biggest immunisation programme the country has ever seen.
Most frontline NHS staff, people living in care homes for older adults as well as people aged 80 and over have been vaccinated.
If you or someone in your family is 70 or over, or defined as clinically extremely vulnerable, and you have not yet had, or been booked, for your first COVID-19 vaccination, you should now take action. Contact your GP for an appointment, or book your first vaccination online at one of east London's large-scale vaccination centres (including ExCel and Westfield), or call 119 to book.
If you have received a letter but not booked an appointment you may get a phone call from the NHS Immunisation Management Service. This call will be from the number: 0300 561 0240. This will be a reminder to book your COVID-19 vaccination appointments. The person you speak to will see if you need any help and support.
Questions answered
The NHS's East London Health and Care Partnership has a website with information on the coronavirus vaccine, including answers to many frequently asked questions.
If you are unsure whether you should have the vaccine on religious grounds, see this video of Senior Imam at East London Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed Mahmoud discussing the vaccine and tackling conspiracy theories around COVID-19 immunisation, or this video with NHS England's Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer and NHS doctor, Dr Harpreet Sood, who highlights that the vaccine has been endorsed by all religious groups.
Here are answers to some common questions around vaccination:
Can I turn up at vaccination services without an appointment?
No. People will still need to make an appointment in advance before going to any vaccination service. This is important because booking slots are carefully managed to allow for social distancing and the number of appointments is based on the supply available that day.
Do I need to know my NHS number to use the booking website or phone line?
No. It’s easier if you do have your NHS number, but if you don’t both the NHS booking website and phone line can still book appointments using other details, provided you are registered with a GP practice.
You can find your NHS number on the NHS App or online.
If I’ve already had my first dose will I be able to book my second in this way?
No. You will only be able to book if NHS records show you have yet to have your first dose. If you have already had your first dose, please wait for the NHS to contact you about your second.
Avoid scams
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.
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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 537 cases reported in the last week, 213 less than the previous week. This equates to an incidence rate of 207 new cases per 100,000 population which is higher than the London average (202/100,000) and that for the whole of England (201/100,000).
However, underscoring how dangerous this coronavirus pandemic remains, deaths in Havering remain high with 37 COVID-19 related deaths in the week ending 29 January, as the graph below shows.
 As of 8 February there were 214 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.
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.
See a short video recorded by a member of the hotline team.
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One in three people with COVID-19 have no symptoms, and can pass it on to others without realising.
This could be you. We are asking all those who cannot work from home to test twice weekly at one of our five lateral flow testing centres.
To make it easier for busy tradespeople, supermarket workers, those working in estate agents, banks, corner shops, in offices, and taxi or delivery drivers to get tested, these rapid, Lateral Flow Testing (LFT) centres are now open from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and 10am to 7pm on weekends.
See our short video that explains the simple process.
Of course, it also remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
Click for details of booking procedures, and opening hours for all our local testing locations, including our new centre in Dorrington Gardens, Hornchurch.
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 Havering Council will continue to fund the School Meal Holiday Scheme for those most in need during the February half term.
The borough will run the Scheme with the February application window now open. It closes at 5pm this Friday, 12 February.
Families who received a payment for the October half term and Christmas holiday period do not need to reapply and will automatically receive the funds into their nominated bank account by Friday 12 February.
To date, we’ve processed more than 2,600 school meal holiday scheme claims for 4,720 Havering children. That’s £70,800 of extra support throughout the school holidays.
The Council also offers support for those who do not qualify for the School Meal Holiday Scheme but still need help.
The Romford Business Improvement District (BID) has redeployed two of their Romford Town Ambassadors as Covid Marshals to aid in Havering's fight against the coronavirus.
Covid Marshals are tasked with engaging with residents, encouraging the wearing of face coverings (to those who are not exempt) and social distancing, as well as helping people understand and comply with current restrictions.
With much of the town centre obliged to close under the current national lockdown restrictions there was much less need for the Ambassadors to be present on the streets in their day-to-day role of welcoming and assisting visitors and businesses and generally acting as the eyes and ears of the Romford BID.
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 Havering Council is hosting another live Question and Answer session for local businesses to answer questions around business support and the new wave of rapid community testing.
Once again people running businesses in Havering are invited to join a live Zoom session with Council Leader, Cllr Damian White, as well as representatives from various Council services, to answer your questions on doing business at this challenging time.
A member of the Council's Public Health team will talk through rapid community testing.
With around one in three people with COVID-19 not showing any symptoms, it's important that we take extra measures to make sure we're not spreading it. Those who cannot work from home should get tested twice per week, and this meeting will explain how easy the process is, and why you and your employees should be taking part.
The session will take place tomorrow, Thursday 11 February, at 5pm.
Questions can be emailed in advance of the meeting. Please use the subject heading of 'Business Zoom'.
To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month take a look at the free online LGBTQ+ e-books available with a Havering Libraries membership.
There are collections of books for young adults, or adults.
In conjunction with the NHS, Havering Police are hosting several lunch and learn sessions throughout LGBT+ History month.
These sessions will give you the opportunity to listen to experts and ask questions that may have been difficult to raise in the past. Topics covered will range from cancer screening, and STI testing to combatting hate crime.
To find out more, or register, click below.
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Havering libraries are holding an online Chat in a Hat session tomorrow, Thursday 11 February, from 11.30am to 12.30pm.
Bring your own tea, coffee and biscuits - and the libraries' team will bring the hat and the chat. Each week there will be an array of interesting subjects and questions to pull out of the hat to get the conversation going.
Email for further details or to be added to the list of attendees. Sessions will take place via Zoom. This event is open to all ages.
The libraries team also organise a monthly free Book Club for adults. You can join them via Zoom on your tablet, laptop or PC on Wednesday 17 February to chat about new books, favourite books and the Book of the Month: Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. This club meets on the third Wednesday of each month between 2 and 3pm. Email to book your place.
Another regular virtual event on the calendar is Wiggle and Giggle sessions suitable for children over 2 years old. This is similar to Baby Bounce sessions, but aimed at older children. This will be an active session where the children, parents and carers will be on their feet joining in with the singing and dancing.
The first session will be on Tuesday 23 February frrom 11am until midday. Email to register for these weekly sessions, or for further details.
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If you’ve ever wondered what the census has done for you, look around.
From local government to healthcare, schools to charities, all have used the census to inform how they provide the services you and your community needs.
Census 2021 will provide a huge amount of information that will help Havering Council do its work supporting residents, and plan for the future.
Make sure you take part on 21 March.
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If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was resident in the UK before 31 December 2020, you must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) by the deadline of 30 June 2021.
Eligible close family members who were living overseas when the transition period ended on 31 December 2020 have the right to join an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen in the UK.
They can apply to the EUSS at any point in the future, if a successful application to the EUSS scheme has been made by a member of the family, and that relationship existed by 31 December 2020 and continues to exist at the time that the family member seeks to come to the UK.
Special conditions apply in the case of children who are born or adopted after 31 December 2020. Close family members may be from an EU or EEA member state, Switzerland, or from anywhere else in the world.
If you have already successfully applied to the EUSS you can access your pre-settled or settled status online.
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Transport for London (TfL) is holding a consultation on the use of in-vehicle CCTV in taxis (black cabs) and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in London.
They are interested in your views including whether you think all taxis and PHVs (including minicabs) in London should have in-vehicle CCTV fitted as a mandatory requirement or should the current position of allowing vehicle owners to choose to fit in-vehicle CCTV systems be maintained.
Are there local considerations to take into account in London and do they affect whether in-vehicle CCTV should be mandatory in all London licensed taxis and PHVs?
You can have your say by completing TfL's survey. The closing date for responding to the consultation is Monday 22 March 2021.
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