Friday 22 January
 Plymouth has again experienced its highest rate of COVID-19 cases caused, most likely, by the presence of the new variant in the city.
This week we had 330 cases per 100,000 population.
Dr Ruth Harrell, our Director of Public Health said: “This is not the slow-down I would like. This is despite the national lockdown which has been in place since 5 January.
“In the last national lockdown, we saw our rates decrease quite quickly. It is clear that we are not in the same situation now. From the patterns that we are seeing, especially the speed of transmission in some of our key settings such as care homes, I strongly suspect the new variant is here in the city.
“We do have to remember that although the rates are very high for us, we are still below some 269 other local authorities.”
The message to Plymouth residents is still the same, she said and added; “It is up all of us to follow the measures and reduce contact with others as much as possible.”
The Council’s environmental health team is continuing its work to make sure that places that are allowed to stay open are COVID-19 secure. With the support of PARC rangers, who have been acting as COVID marshals, around 450 visits were made last week to advise supermarkets, convenience stores and takeaways on ways to keep us safe. They are also patrolling popular locations to remind people to keep two metres away from people not in their household or bubble.
On a more positive note, the vaccination programme is well underway and groups at highest risk of serious illness are being prioritised, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations.
If ever you or your family need reminding why it is so important to follow the measures, check out the video put together by our colleagues at University Hospitals Plymouth Trust.
They have been collecting stories of real patients who are suffering from coronavirus
For more information visit our website www.plymouth.gov.uk/covid-19 or keep an eye on our daily figures on Facebook and Twitter.
Do you, or someone you know run a business?
Around 40 per cent of eligible businesses in Plymouth still haven’t claimed grant funding.
We have been given a further £20.3 million to support businesses during this current national lockdown. Grants are currently available for businesses that pay business rates and which are legally required to close during lockdown. We’re working hard to get this money out as quickly as possible and to make the process simple.
All eligible businesses that successfully applied for a November lockdown grant through the Council will automatically be paid their grant funding, which includes the Local Restrictions Support Grant and the one-off Closed Business Lockdown Payment. Businesses should look out for an email confirming the amount of the grant payment, the scheme that the grant is from and the expected payment date.
If you are not eligible for these grants (for example, you do not pay business rates), you may be eligible for discretionary funding through the Additional Restrictions Grant. Details of this funding, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, will be shared in the coming weeks.
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Great news - we now have a pair of beavers!
Earlier this week a young female Eurasian beaver was released into our specially-designed re-wilding enclosure near Poole Farm to join the male we released late last year.
The pair’s behaviour and actions will now be monitored in the hope that their actions will reduce flooding further downstream and create habitats for wildlife in the Bircham Valley.
It’s all part of the Green Minds project, a council initiative focussed on re-wilding to encourage nature and wildlife and to encourage more people from all walks to life to enjoy the health benefits that our green spaces provide.
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Our favourite green spaces
We've been asking our green estate team to use their considerable knowledge of all things nature in Plymouth to tell their stories of their favourite places to be.
This week's entry comes from Poole Farm manager Ashley, who tells us about Efford Local Nature Reserve and the wonderful types of wildlife that can be found!
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Sounding you out about the Sound
We want to know your thoughts about Plymouth Sound – whether you’re a regular wild swimmer, love water sports or prefer to admire it from the shoreline.
Your opinions will help us to create plans for the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, the UK’s first. All the feedback we receive will be used to develop a funding bid to the lottery, so we can hopefully bring those plans to life.
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If you or someone you know has applied for a school place this year then we need your views.
We are currently looking at the service design of our school admissions service to ensure we are putting the user at the centre of our services.
We're really keen to get in touch with anyone who has had recent experience of applying for a school placement in Plymouth and would be happy to talk to us about the experience of the process of applying.
This can be for a secondary or primary placement, in-year transfer to another school or an 11 plus school registration.
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