COVID-19 Snapshot
As of 14th October 2020 (data reported up to 11th October 2020)
Click here to see and print the full COVID-19 snapshot from 14 Oct.
Please remember
Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms must isolate for 10 days from when they started feeling ill and their household should isolate for 14 days.
Local Alert Levels
Milton Keynes: MEDIUM
A new system called ‘local COVID alert levels’ has been introduced from 14th October. There are three tiers:
Tier 1 – Medium
Tier 2 – High
Tier 3 – Very High
Milton Keynes is at alert level: medium, which means we continue to follow existing national restrictions.
This means:
- No socialising in groups larger than 6, indoors or outdoors (other than where a legal exemption applies).
- Businesses and venues can continue to operate in a COVID-secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law.
- In pubs, cafes and restaurants customers should only consume food and drink while seated, and premises must close between 10pm and 5am (apart from for takeaway delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-through).
- Schools and universities remain open.
- Places of worship remain open, subject to the rule of 6.
- Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on numbers of attendees.
- Exercise classes and organised sport can continue to take place outdoors, or indoors if the rule of 6 is followed.
- You must wear a face covering in those areas where this is mandated.
- You should continue to:
- follow social distancing rules.
- work from home where you can effectively do so.
- when travelling, plan ahead or avoid busy times and routes. Walk or cycle if you can.
Find out more about the measures that apply in medium alert level areas to help reduce the spread of COVID-19
Meeting family and friends
When seeing friends and family you do not live with (or who are not part of your support bubble), you must not meet in a group of more than 6, indoors or outdoors. In England, this limit of 6 includes children of any age.
A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that support bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight and visit public places together.
Meeting in larger groups is against the law, aside from where there are specific exemptions. The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).
You can be fined £200 for the first offence, doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.
Please remember Hands. Face. Space
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HANDS – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
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FACE – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
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SPACE – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors).
Meet a Champion
David Norris is the Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, and has lived in Milton Keynes for over 45 years.
Milton Keynes is part of the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum, a partnership of key organisations working together to co-ordinate the strategic and practical response to COVID-19. David’s team from the Fire and Rescue Service, alongside MK Council, work closely with colleagues from NHS, Public Health England, South Central Ambulance Service, Clinical Commissioning Groups and representatives from central Government.
As part of their on-going work, the Fire and Rescue Service provide support South Central Ambulance Service, with some firefighters trained to drive ambulances. When necessary, and as part of the wider effort, the service can help with the distribution of Personal, Protective Equipment and have supported Care Home training staff, to ensure its safe use. During the national shielding programme, which paused on 31 July, food packages and shielding support was directed to those most in need.
As David says, “We are used to dealing quickly with major incidents but our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, been over a far longer period of time. We have learnt from this, not least the importance of strong partnership working. We are all very different organisations, with different priorities, but by developing a better local relationships and working together we can quickly focus on essential issues and act quickly. “
As well as being one of the first people to volunteer as a COVID-19 Champion, five of David’s colleagues are also Champions. “The Champions Scheme is a fantastic way to help people to keep up to date. Just by sharing the weekly e-mail Champions can made a huge difference in helping to keep us safe, so thank you.”
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MK Covid Champions Code of Conduct
The purpose of the COVID-19 Community Champion scheme is to help ensure that residents across Milton Keynes hear correct and consistent information about the COVID-19 arrangements. We recognise that there is often debate and sometimes disagreement, but our role is to tell people what the rules are so they can apply them to their everyday lives.
Read the code of conduct here.
Local Test and Trace Service
The NHS Test and Trace. Service allows us to trace the spread of the virus and helps us to stop onward transmission. If you have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), you will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace who will give advice and obtain details of anyone you have been in contact with. If the NHS Test and Trace team have been unable to contact you within 48 hours, your case will be passed to Milton Keynes Council Local Test and Trace team who will contact you.
How Milton Keynes Council Test and Trace will contact you
- You'll be contacted by text, email or phone.
- Text messages and emails will be sent from the council, and phone calls will come from a 01234 number.
- Children under 18 will be contacted by phone wherever possible and asked for their parent or guardian's permission to continue the call.
- If we fail to contact you via text, email or phone a Milton Keynes council officer with an ID badge will be sent to your residence to contact you in person.
What will I be asked?
- Your name, date of birth and postcode.
- If you live with other people.
- Any places you've been recently, such as a workplace or school.
- Names and contact details of any people you were in close contact with since your symptoms started and the 48 hours before that.
Important – Milton Keynes Local Test and Trace service will not:
- Ask for bank details or payments.
- Ask for details of any other accounts, such as social media.
- Ask you to set up a password or PIN number over the phone.
- Ask you to call a premium rate number, such as those starting 09 or 087.
If you are contacted by the NHS Test and Trace or by your local council to ask about your contacts, it is important that you share information honestly and openly. All information you provide to Milton Keynes Council Test and Trace service is confidential. No one who is contacted will be told your identity. Anyone you've been in close contact with will be told to stay at home (self-isolate) for 14 days by the NHS.
This is because it can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear. Sharing contacts will help to keep our communities safe, save lives and avoid further restrictions on public life.
A word from Community Action: MK
NHS COVID-19 app
The NHS COVID-19 app was launched on 24 September. Protect your loved ones with the official NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for England and Wales.
It's the fastest way of knowing when you're at risk from COVID-19. The quicker you know, the quicker you can alert your loved ones, and your community.
You can find out more about the app here: covid19.nhs.uk.
Useful links
Keep up to date on the Governments latest COVID-19 updates: www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Find COVID-19 Information from the NHS: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
Additional measures were put into place in September which require premises such as bars, restaurants, bingo halls and casinos etc. to be closed between 10pm and 5am. More information including the full list of affected premises can be found on the Government website: www.gov.uk/coronavirus. If you find a business open when they should be closed please email CovidConcern@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
To print and share this, please click "view it as a web page" at the top of this bulletin. This will take you to a web page with the option to print this off at the top. If you want to share this on social media, please copy and paste the URL and share it.
Your Feedback
Have you found this email useful?
Let us know how we can improve: CovidChampions@Milton-Keynes.gov.uk
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