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Wednesday 31 March 2021 (Update #200)
 Welcome to the 200th Living in Havering COVID-19 update.
For more than a year we have been battling this awful pandemic. Now, thanks to the vaccination programme and your heroic efforts in following the Government's guidance on social distancing, wearing face coverings, and regular hand washing, we can begin to hope that we will soon see better days ahead.
As our latest weekly report on COVID-19 in Havering released today shows, infection rates continue to fall and so, thankfully, do deaths. Read more on this below.
Please enjoy the long Easter weekend in a sensible, cautious way. Many people will have just finished shielding and may, understandably, feel nervous about coming close to other people in parks, shops or pavements. Give people space and continue to follow the Government's advice.
Don't forget that funding is available from Havering Council for meals for children in eligible families over the Easter school holiday. If that includes you, and you haven't applied for this help before, please read the article below, and apply by Tuesday morning.
We are expecting the Gerpins Lane Reuse and Recycling Centre to be very busy over the Bank Holiday weekend. Therefore, unless your visit is essential, I suggest you consider using the site after the holidays to avoid long queues.
If you want to contact me directly, you can email me. However, please be patient as there may be a delay in getting back to you due to the volume of messages I am receiving.
Lastly, my congratulations to the Mighty Urchins.
Hornchurch Football Club have reached the FA Trophy Final after a nerve-racking penalty win over Notts County in the semi-final last weekend. Despite going behind three times in the match, Mark Stimson's team heroically battled back each time to take the game into a penalty shoot-out that they duly won. Next up for the Urchins is Hereford at Wembley on Saturday 22 May.
Have a blessed Easter 2021.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
 Every week Havering Council publishes a report on coronavirus in the borough on its website. It includes data on infection rates and testing, as well as the vaccine roll-out, and compares the success of that programme in Havering with other parts of London and the rest of the country.
The graph above is taken from the report and shows the number of Havering residents testing positive for coronavirus each week since 6 March last year. Until 2 July the figures did not include widespread testing in the community.
There were 81 cases reported in the last week,10 less than the previous week.
This equates to an incidence rate of 31 new cases per 100,000 population which is lower than the London (35/100,000) and whole of England ( 54/100,000) figures.
Sadly, there were two COVID-19 related deaths in Havering in the week ending 19 March, five less than the previous reporting week, as the graph below shows.
In total 871 people in Havering have now died with COVID-19.
 As of 27 March there were 36 inpatients admitted due to COVID-19 occupying beds at our local hospitals. This is 12 less than last week. The trust that runs those hospitals, BHRUT, also publishes weekly data on the number of patients it is treating.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and will give you the best protection from coronavirus.
If you live in London and are aged over 50, are a carer, or have an underlying health condition, you can book your appointment online or by calling 119 for free between 7am-11pm, seven days a week.
Remember, it’s not too late to get the jab and protect yourself and those around you from coronavirus.
Receiving the vaccine doesn’t guarantee that you won't get COVID-19 although it has been shown to greatly reduce the chance of that happening and of serious illness or hospitalisation. This means that even after the vaccination you must continue to follow government guidance, including social distancing rules.
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 Havering Council is again supporting eligible families with school meals during the school holidays.
For the Easter holiday, eligible families will receive £30 per child.
There’s no need to re-apply if you have previously received money via the School Meal Holiday Scheme. This will be paid automatically into your account. Read more on our website.
If you haven’t previously applied, but need to, please click on the button below.
Applications for new claims close on Tuesday 6 April at 9am.
 Rapid testing is available across Havering.
If you have to leave home for work, you should get regular, twice-weekly rapid tests to make sure you're not passing on COVID-19 without knowing.
All childminders can access asymptomatic twice-weekly testing by either:
- Attending a test site to get tested, where they will be able to see how to take the test, or pick up tests to do at home. You can collect your home test kits without an appointment from any of Havering's Local Testing Sites, but do check opening times on our website before travelling
or
Testing will help to identify positive cases, particularly those who may have the virus and do not have symptoms. Those who test positive will then self-isolate, helping to reduce transmission of the virus. Positive results from rapid tests undertaken at home should be confirmed with a standard PCR test.
You should still be tested even if you have had one or both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
Have symptoms?
Of course, it also remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms. There is information on booking procedures, and opening hours for all our local testing locations on our website.
This last year has been difficult for many people and Havering Council wants to help by extending the deadline for the Council Tax early payment discount.
This means if you pay your Council Tax in full before 9 April 2021 you will get 1.5 per cent off your bill.
Look for the early payment discount on the front of your Council Tax bill and simply deduct this amount from your full bill when making your payment online or by telephone on 01708 433993, available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
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 Havering Council’s helping residents to celebrate another cracking Easter with a series of online events.
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the Council won't be able to hold traditional Easter craft activities in Romford Market this year, but residents can still join in the fun online this Saturday and Sunday.
Knowing the right place for medical help over the Easter holidays can help you get the treatment you need faster.
You can get an appointment with a GP from 8am to 8pm on both bank holidays.
Out of hours GP appointments are available every normal weekday evening between 6.30pm and 10pm, and between 8am and 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays, including the Easter weekend.
You can book these appointments by calling the GP hub booking hotline on 020 3770 1888 (open from 8am to 8pm) or by calling 111 out of hours.
You can also get help with minor injuries and illnesses at the Harold Wood Polyclinic. This is open 8am to 9pm, seven days a week. You can call NHS 111 to book an appointment or walk in and wait to be seen. You do not need to be registered with a GP.
COVID-19 vaccinations will be taking place as normal over the bank holidays so if you have an appointment please attend.
NHS 111 can also make direct appointments online, by phone or face-to-face with a variety of health services, including A&E, Urgent Treatment Centres, specialised mental health crisis services, dental services and pharmacists for urgent repeat prescriptions and advice. If needed, an ambulance can also be despatched.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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If you haven't yet completed Census 2021, please do so as soon as possible.
Census field officers are now following up households that have not returned their questionnaire.
All genuine Census officers will carry an ID card with their photograph and name.
They will not make calls before 9am or after 8pm, and will never ask for money or bank details.
These officers will not enter homes and they will have paper questionnaires with them in case residents have lost their orginal letter with its unique access code, or don't have the ability to complete the form online.
If you have any questions, or concerns as to whether a person claiming to be from Census 2021 is genuine, please call 0800 141 2021.
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In addition to the Easter weekend activities, Havering Council is organising a number of online craft activities for children over the Easter school holiday.
These include rock painting (pictured), for children aged 5 years or older on Wednesday 7 April between 10am and 11am, and the making of Easter bunnies and wreaths on Friday 9 April between 10 and noon for children aged 8 years or over.
The activities are for children aged over five or eight years of age. To book a place for your child send an email.
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Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has received further funding from Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group to allow it to reinstate free digital classes for the next six weeks.
In addition, Clarion Futures is also funding six weeks of weekly telephone based workshops.
The classes are aimed at connecting people in Havering from their own homes with live streaming from the Theatre's Facebook page each week and via conference calls.
Clarion Futures funded six weeks of workshops last summer and these proved to be very popular racking up 27,000 views from 1,700 individual households.
The digital sessions will run for six weeks beginning on Tuesday 6 April. Previous sessions are also available to catch-up via the Theatre’s YouTube and Facebook pages. These sessions include dance workouts and musical sing-a-longs.
Telephone based drama workshops for people without internet access are also being introduced on Wednesdays at 11am.
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Havering Council and its redevelopment joint venture partner, Wates Residential, were able to work together with FilmFixer and a production team to film some scenes last week for the new Top Boy TV series on the now empty Waterloo Estate, Romford (pictured).
19-year-old media student Fjorald Cacaj who lives in Romford and attends New City College, Havering, had the opportunity to be on the film set.
He got to see some of the actors and speak with professionals, including a make-up artist. He said that he didn't expect the filming days to be so long and hard for the film crew, and understood why comfortable shoes and warm clothes were essential.
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The majority of the Transport for London (TfL) network will be running over the long Easter weekend, however there will be some closures for essential maintenance and improvements.
The current Government guidance remains that everyone should continue to work from home if they can and minimise travel wherever possible.
Customers who need to travel over the Easter weekend are urged to check before they travel, plan for quiet times and consider alternative options such as walking or cycling.
TfL Rail services out of Liverpool Street will be impacted by work to extend platforms at the station ahead of longer trains being introduced later in the year. This will affect weekend and weekday services between Good Friday (2 April) and Sunday 11 April.
There will be no trains between Liverpool Street and Shenfield during the Easter weekend (Friday 2 April to Monday 5 April) or the following weekend (Saturday 10 April and Sunday 11 April). Regular rail replacement buses will run, calling at all stations except Maryland.
Between Tuesday 6 April to Friday 9 April, there will be no service between Liverpool Street and Stratford. Customers can use the Central line or Greater Anglia services for journeys between the two stations.
There will be no London Overground service from Romford to Upminster between Good Friday and Easter Monday.
Due to Network Rail undertaking engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c train services wil not run on the Rinham line this Sunday (4 April). Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
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Thurso Close in Harold Wood will be resurfaced on 12 and 13 April. Work will take place between 8am and 5pm on those days.
Western Road in Romford will be closed at its junction with Mercury Gardens from 9am on 12 April for sewer connection works. A diversion route via Mercury Gardens, Main Road, and Junction Road wil be in operation until the expected completion date of 23 April.
Rainham Road will be closed at its junction with Dominion Way from 10am on 6 April to 4pm on 9 April to allow for the installation of a traffic island. A diversion via Cherry Tree Lane and the A1306 New Road will be in place.
Road resurfacing work will also be carried out in Shepherds Hill, Harold Wood next month. The road will be closed to through traffic with diversions in place between 9.30am and 3pm from 13 to 21 April.
Lastly, reurfacing work is planned for Warley Street in Upminster. This work will begin on 21 April and is due to be completed on 24 April.
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This will be the last Living in Havering email newsletter before Easter.
Thank-you for continuing to open, read, and share the content of these bulletins.
The next, 201st, COVID-19 special bulletin will be published on Wednesday 7 April.
Peter Stremes, Editor.
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