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This is intended to keep you updated on the latest developments linked to Covid-19. The bulletin includes information on:
Community testing
Stoke-on-Trent currently has a seven-day infection rate to 7 December of 312.8 per 100,000 people, which is 10.4% down in seven days. We have seen infection rates fall, but unfortunately it appears that they have been flat lining for the past few days and not falling further. Our figures remain around the top 10 in the country, and we have to face the very real prospect that when the tiers are reviewed next week, we will not have come down far enough to move out of tier three restrictions.
We’re urging people to get tested and to do this ahead of the Christmas break. Being in the top 10 is not a list we want to be in. We urge people to do all they can to help break this cycle. We’ve done it before and we can do it again but we need to act now to brings our cases down. Please resist the temptation to gather in different households and breach Covid-19 restrictions as the festive season ramps up.
Lateral flow testing is continuing next week. The tests are quick and free and give you a result within 30 minutes. They are available at:
- Monday 14 December at Northwood Stadium, 9:30am - 3pm
- Tuesday 15 December at Northwood Stadium, 9:30am - 3pm.
- Wednesday 16 December at Northwood Stadium, 9.30am - 3pm.
- Thursday 17 December at LRV- Students Union, Staffordshire University, 9.30am -3pm.
- Friday 18 December at Dimensions Leisure Centre 9.30am - 3pm.
- Saturday 19 December at Dimensions Leisure Centre 10am - 12pm.
Book a test by visiting www.stoke.gov.uk/bookacovid19test.
Covid stewards
During the past week our Covid stewards have been busy working across the city to support residents, shoppers and businesses. They will be out this weekend again, providing high visibility support in main shopping areas in the city centre, the Festival Park, Longton, Tunstall, and Trent Vale. In their visits last weekend, there were a number of instances of long queues outside shops, and the stewards advised stores and shoppers on how to maintain social distancing and follow the guidance for queuing.
There were some instances where stores didn’t have capacity to enforce the wearing of face coverings or social distancing, because of the number of shoppers, and in these instances the stewards helped stores and shoppers to follow the guidance.
If anyone has concerns about premises where they feel the right Covid-secure measures are not in place, please do not go in.
The stewards have also spent a lot of time giving support and advice at the city centre bus station. On their visits, they have found isolated instances of people not socially distancing, particularly around the times of 3.30pm-4pm, and on some occasions of people not wearing face coverings.
Stewards have visited all towns in the city and continue to visit communities. They are also going to businesses that have requested their help.
Last week, the stewards checked on barbers shops in the Cobridge area where concerns had been raised. When they visited, they found that staff weren’t wearing the correct PPE and this matter has been referred to our public protection team for potential enforcement action.
The stewards have also been supporting efforts on test and trace, and have been visiting households, alongside PCSOs for welfare visits and where there are concerns that people may not be following the self-isolation rules.
On one occasion, the stewards went to carry out a welfare visit with a woman in Bucknall who had tested positive, but there was no answer and no apparent sign of anyone being in. They returned to the address on Monday and again no-one appeared to be in. This has now been referred to Staffordshire Police for potential enforcement action.
The vast majority of people are following the public health guidelines, and we’re really grateful for those who are. But we must all follow the rules to stop the spread.
Care home visiting
Care homes in the city will receive lateral flow testing kits over the next four weeks, following a government announcement that the testing will become available.
The intention is that rapid regular testing will be offered to two visitors per resident, which, when combined with other infection control measures, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing and good hygiene will support meaningful visits.
While we welcome this news, we need people to be patient with our homes as they receive their kits over the coming weeks. Care homes will have a lot to work through, including training their staff to support the testing, putting in place booking and logging processes and then rolling it out to their residents – and this may take a little time.
Our homes are keen to remind families and friends that the safety of their residents remains their priority and a negative test does not mean there is no longer a risk of transmitting the virus – people visiting their loved ones have a really important role in helping care homes to keep residents safe.
Care homes will still be taking a balanced approach to receiving visitors in a safe way, following robust infection prevention measures, and taking into account their specific circumstances and things such as the layout of their home and the individual needs of their residents and staff.
When the testing is under way, homes will let families know by letter or email and also remind them that visitors are still required to adhere to the hands, face, space measures to keep their loved ones safe. In the unfortunate event that a home should experience an outbreak, indoor visits will be restricted to end of life only, as is the case currently.
We are immensely grateful to our care homes who continue to work incredibly hard to protect some of our most vulnerable residents through very difficult times.
Covid-19 winter fund grant and community grant update
We are supporting voluntary and community groups across the city by administering funding to them as quickly as possible, so that vulnerable people and those in the most need get the help they need swiftly.
To this end, we have already given £556,552 in funding to the sector.This includes £150,000 in community grants – which is to be boosted by a further £50,000 in funding; £19,000 in grants from DEFRA for food and essential supplies; £137,000 for VAST to provide support services for those in need; more than £60,000 for foodbanks; £55,000 to Beat the Cold to help people out of fuel poverty; and more than £33,000 to the Hubb Foundation for their work to combat holiday hunger and support families in preparing sustainable meals.
Last week we announced we had secured £1.083m from the government’s new Covid-19 winter grant fund. This is to help families and residents hit hardest by the pandemic. Some of that fund has already been administered to Beat the Cold and the Hubb Foundation, as mentioned above.
We’re setting aside the majority of the £1.083m to help ensure that 18,460 children do not go hungry during the winter. This will be administered through a holiday-hunger scheme to support families around school holidays for those in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.
Over the Christmas and February holidays, £15 per week, per child in food vouchers will be provided through schools for each holiday week and an additional £5 payment per child for Christmas Day. The council is working in partnership with schools so that all those who may be suffering hardship can benefit from the scheme.
We will also be making equivalent payments to those families with children in early years settings who are most at risk of economic hardship and with very young children or other children not in formal childcare. The scheme will also be extended to support care leavers at risk of hardship.
Train the trainer initiative
We’re really pleased that 14 schools have already taken up our ‘train the trainer’ initiative to deliver the lateral flow tests in their schools.
More rapid lateral flow testing has been made available in schools across Stoke-on-Trent following a successful ‘train the trainer initiative’. The initiative will help to keep pupils in the classroom and control outbreaks in the run up to Christmas.
The training has been underway during the past two weeks and staff in those schools can now administer tests within their own schools so that they can test colleagues and students safely and quickly, with tests and clinical and operational guidance provided by NHS Test and Trace.
Being able to administer rapid lateral flow tests within schools means confirmed cases can be identified really early in those who are not showing any of the classic symptoms of coronavirus so they and any close contacts can be sent home to self-isolate and reduce transmission. Being able to do regular repeat testing means that more staff and pupils will be able to stay in school.
#StokeonTrentTogether
People who are in need of help and support as a result of the coronavirus pandemic can contact a dedicated #StokeonTrentTogether helpline to access a range of different services. To access support, please call 01782 234234. Please help by sharing this information with organisations and residents in your wards.
Virtual Christmas memorial service
Christmas can be a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones. Under normal circumstances, Christmas memorial services attended by up to 650 people would have taken place for residents to gather and remember their loved ones. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a pre-recorded service will be held on the corporate Facebook account at 2pm on Sunday, 13 December - the same date the services would have been held at Carmountside Crematorium.
The service will include prayers and a Gospel reading led by Father Peter Weatherby – former priest at the Sacred Heart Church in Hanley – who usually officiates the service, poetry readings and Christmas carols. A piece of reflection music will be played where families are invited to remember those they have sadly lost
Click here to read more.
The service will be available to watch from 2pm on Sunday via https://www.facebook.com/sotcitycouncil
A change to the self-isolation period from 14 to 10 days has been announced
Self-isolation is essential to reducing the spread of COVID as it breaks the chains of transmission. After reviewing the evidence, government are now confident that we can reduce the number of days that contacts self-isolate from 14 days to 10 days. People who return from countries which are not on the travel corridor list should also self-isolate for 10 days instead of 14 days. People who test positive should continue to self-isolate for 10 days from onset of symptoms or 10 days from point of taking a positive test if asymptomatic. Read more here.
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