The new variant of COVID-19 is spreading fast, so will all need to work together, act like we have it and stay home. So please follow the guidance and help keep our communities safe.   

For more information visit gov.uk/coronavirus   

The government’s Stay Home guidance is available to download and share in British Sign Language (with voiceover), as audio files and in large print format for free from Public Health England’s online resource centre. 

Over 1,000 people have come forward to support Manchester’s programme to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of patients against COVID-19. The roll out of community vaccination hubs across the city is continuing at pace with the first of six test sites opening last week, with more to follow soon. Volunteers will help to marshal the vaccination sites and ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible. 

Local GPs will be contacting patients about getting a vaccination in the order set out at a national level – with the most vulnerable first. You do not need to contact them. 

You may also receive a letter from the NHS offering you the option of attending the Great Manchester Mass Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Tennis Centre in Manchester, or a local pharmacy 

Visit the Council's website for more information 

We are aware that some people are receiving suspicious calls and text messages offering the COVID-19 vaccination.   

Coronavirus vaccines are only available on the NHS. You can be contacted by the NHS, your employer, or a GP surgery local to you, to receive your vaccine. Remember, the vaccine is free of charge. At no point will you be asked to pay.  

 - The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details.  

- The NHS will never ask you for your PIN or banking password.  

- The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.   

- The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.    

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or identity theft you should report this directly to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Where the victim is vulnerable, and particularly if you are worried that someone has or might come to your house, report it to the Police online or by calling 101. 

For information about the COVID vaccine rollout visit the NHS website. 

Covid-19: Rapid tests for asymptomatic people start in Manchester 

Regular rapid testing for key worker groups without coronavirus symptoms are now available across Manchester for at least six weeks.  

The tests are aimed at key workers like health and social care staff, primary school teachers and support teams, nurseries and early years provision, homelessness teams, as well as others who are unable to work from home during the lockdown and have more unavoidable contact with other people. 

Rapid lateral flow tests – which can give a result within half an hour - are to protect staff, and the people they need to be with, by helping to break the transmission of the disease by those who do not have symptoms, but may have still caught the virus. Across the UK, around one in three people who contract Covid-19 show no symptoms.  

Lateral flow tests are good at picking up people who are positive for the disease but do not have symptoms. However, if you get a negative result it doesn’t mean that you definitely don’t have the virus.   

If it's at an early stage the virus could be incubating, or you may not have a high enough viral load for it to register yet.   

The safest thing to do is to act as if you could have Covid – so please continue to follow the rules, maintain social distancing, handwashing and surface cleaning, and wear a face covering as required.  

Testing will be available for targeted groups of key workers at sites across the city, which are being run with the help of Army personnel. The testing is by pre-booked appointments and operates seven days a week - and has been designed to accommodate work and shift patterns. Key workers will receive invites and booking telephone numbers through their management teams.  

Positive results will also feed into the NHS test and trace system so that possible contacts can be identified.  

Read more on the Council's website 

Support for people Self isolating with COVID-19 

Where people have been told to self-isolate by the NHS Test and Trace and their income has been affected, they could be eligible for a one-off support payment. Find out more. 

If you are not working or furloughed at the moment due to COVID-19 and need help with debt, bills or borrowing, visit www.manchester.gov.uk/helpinghands for advice and support. 

We would urge anyone who thinks their business may be eligible for support to check. Visit gov.uk for further information.

We'd like to remind the owners of ‘wet’ pubs that claims can still be submitted due to enforced closures during the Christmas period.   

Local Restriction Support Grants are also still open to applications. If you have previously received an LRSG payment you do not need to apply again each time you are required to close due to new or continuing Government restrictions.  

We will use the information from your original application to assess you for a further grant, as long as you continue to meet the criteria, we will automatically pay a grant to the bank account in your original application. 

More info on all support available for businesses can be found on the Council's website.