Dear residents,
I have never been more proud to serve the Waltham Forest community. Over 4,000 volunteers, 30,000 PPE donations and £40,000 raised for the voluntary sector. We whipped up this little video so I can say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
As we deal with the next phase of the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at how we can adapt the borough to ensure the safety of staff, residents, and businesses as we deliver essential services on which the community relies.
The key message right now is that the lockdown is not over and neither is the threat from this deadly virus. The best way to keep yourself and your loved ones safe is to stay home if you can, keep a safe distance of two metres from others when you do go out, and regularly wash your hands with soap and warm water.
I know many of you will want to know when schools, libraries, and leisure centres will reopen. Making sure we can safely reopen these vital community facilities is a priority for us. However, this will take time and I will make sure we keep you informed as this work progresses.
I know the many green spaces and parks are one of the things we all love about Waltham Forest. As the government announced, people can now spend more time in parks in their household groups or with individual friends. This makes enforcing social distancing far more difficult so we would ask everyone to act responsibly and with consideration for the whole community. Team sports and drinking alcohol will not be tolerated.
Please continue to support local businesses and traders as much as you can and keep an eye out for vulnerable neighbours. Waltham Forest is defined by its sense of community, togetherness, and belonging and while we may have to stay apart, we are all in this together.
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