News reports located on this page = 3.

Liverpool sets up hotlines to combat Coronavirus challenge

LIVERPOOL'S Mayor has issued an unprecedented rallying cry to the City's residents and businesses in a bid to mobilise a "community army" to tackle the Coronavirus challenge. Mayor Joe Anderson has instructed the City Council to set up 2 hotlines; 1 to recruit a volunteer army, the other to identify and help the City's most vulnerable. He is also calling on the City's businesses community and voluntary organisations to register their support to assist communities overcome the pandemic over the coming weeks and months.

The 2 telephone hotlines go live at 2pm today, just as the Mayor begins chairing Liverpool's Health and Wellbeing Board which will discuss the City's latest plans to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The volunteer hotline is:- 0151 233 3068. Key tasks identified will be for people to help deliver medication to those in self isolation, or check in with neighbours. This phone line can also be used to volunteer for Liverpool Foodbanks who require lots of volunteers across the City.

The support hotline is:- 0151 233 3066. This has been established for anyone to call who feels they need support with a range of basic tasks because they don't have a support network; friends and family; in place.

Both hotlines will be manned from 8am to 6pm, 7 days a week.

People can also sign up online via Liverpool City Council's website.

For the latest information and advice, Liverpool City Council has also set up an online portal on the Council's website.

It has also established dedicated social media feeds at Facebook and Twitter 

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "Liverpool is famous for its community spirit, and we will need to call on it now; more than ever before. Life for everyone is changing in a way few could ever have imagined. Only by working together will we steer our way through this. The Council has been implementing our own well rehearsed contingency plans to cope with a pandemic, and is already using its network of contacts to mobilise so we can protect the most vulnerable. But it is not enough. We simply don't have the volume of staff to fully respond to this crisis. If you are healthy and fit, and are not living with someone with Covid-19 - Liverpool needs you.  There is a vast number of roles for people to perform over the coming weeks and months; and we need to begin the process of assessing the needs and deploying those who can help. It goes without saying; these are unprecedented times. It is impossible to overstate the seriousness of the situation, but I know this City will emerge on the other side all the stronger for it. Our unity and spirit are famous the world over - and we are going to need every ounce of it to get through the coming months. And we all have a crucial part to play, which first and foremost is to do everything possible to protect ourselves, to protect others, and protect our NHS. We need to take care not to spread the disease and take care of each other."

Council suspends green waste collections

LIVERPOOL City Council will suspend its green waste collection service as of Monday, 23 March 2020, due to the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. The Council says that it will be prioritising resources to support household waste, recycling and clinical waste collections for the foreseeable future. The Council's green waste collection service began again in late February after being suspended over the winter months. It is a free service offered to all households in the City, by Liverpool Streetscene Services Ltd (Ltd). LSSL usually devotes 12 wagons and up to 28 members of staff to the fortnightly green waste programme. However, the authority is anticipating the potential need for refuse workers to self isolate due to Coronavirus and will be re-deploying green waste collection staff to support purple and blue bin and clinical waste collections. The Council is urging residents not to put green waste into the purple or blue bins. Members of the public can still take their green waste to one of the City's two Household Waste Recycling Centres at Otterspool or Cheadle Avenue in Old Swan. Liverpool residents can also make use of recycling facilities in Sefton, Knowsley and Kirkby or any of the 14 sites across Merseyside. Alternatively, residents are advised to compost or stockpile their green waste until collections resume.

For more information about waste collection in Liverpool, visit:- Liverpool.Gov.UK and search for 'waste and recycling.' For more information about waste collection and recycling across Merseyside, visit the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority website.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Highways, Cllr Sharon Connor said:- "The Council has decided to suspend the green waste collection service so we can give priority to our other collection services.  It is extremely important that we make sure that our household and clinical waste collection services continue to prevent further potential further risks to public health due to the accumulation of such things as food waste. We would urge people who have green waste to home compost in the first instance. If, for any reason you cannot do this then you could take it to a household waste recycling centre.  The green waste collection service will resume as soon as possible but in the meantime, we would ask residents to bear with us and dispose of their green waste responsibly."

If you're a Liverpool resident you can buy subsidised bins at:- Merseyside.GetComposting.Com.

Letter to Editor:- "Rock Choir HQ says the Coronavirus won't silence us!"

"THE team at Rock Choir HQ have been working tirelessly around the clock and now are finally able to announce their plans to keep not only their 32,000 Members singing, but the nation singing too. Members were emailed last night with the bold plan. This has not been rushed out for the main reason that with 32 thousand Members all over the UK, their wellbeing had to be the number 1 priority and Rock Choir have a huge duty of care and responsibility. For many Members Rock Choir is a vital lifeline. When Rock Choir had to close its doors there was a huge outcry on social media, thousands of messages from distraught Members lost in a World they no longer recognise. Today Rock Choir announce how they will keep Britain singing. If you could help get the word out for us, as this is for the entire general public not just Members and we need help asking for Celebs to take part in the daily sing. Rock Choir are trying to offer a daily structure and to help their Members and the General Public by creating certainty and a routine, which is vital for people in self isolation." Olivia Cooper, Rock Choir.