DAILY EMERGENCY COVID-19 NEWS
... Important Daily Notices ...

AS This page is to place quick update important notices that are being sent to us from Government and other organisations over the Coronavirus Emergency affecting our country (UK)...   Please remember that the information changes quickly, so always check to see what time and when the last post was made.  We will update as and when we can....  Users of our Formby Reporter's Free Email Service will get most updates 1st and then they will be added on here as soon as we can...

The oldest being shown below with newsiest notices above.

National Trust urges caution as good weather at the weekend could tempt people onto roads

WITH Mother's Day and good weather forecast for the weekend, the National Trust is urging people to avoid unnecessary travel and follow Government guidelines on social gatherings.

The Trust's coast and countryside places will be open as usual with any car park charges suspended and the charity is working where it can to keep outdoor spaces open and free to access.

However Mother's Day and a weekend likely to be mostly dry and sunny could see some sites, especially smaller parks and gardens having to close. Earlier this week the conservation charity announced that it would close its houses, shops and cafes to restrict the spread of Coronavirus.

Nature expert and writer Andy Beer from the National Trust says:- "Although our coast and countryside will be open as usual, we'd encourage people to stay local and enjoy the 1st moments of spring where they are rather than making an unnecessary journey. There are so many small moments of nature that we can enjoy now that spring has arrived, from the 1st blossom to flower, birdsong and the first leaves unfurling on our trees. We've had so much support for our move to keep our outdoor places open which has been really terrific to see. However, we have a responsibility to adhere to government advice and although many can continue to enjoy many of our outdoor places we recognise this weekend is likely to be a challenge. To ensure we are encouraging people to stay aware of social distancing, many of our smaller parks and gardens could be closed this weekend. The wellbeing of our staff, volunteers and visitors remains our top priority."

Information on which National Trust outdoor places are open this weekend can be found at:- NationalTrust.Org.UK.

How to access Government financial support if you or your business has been affected by COVID-19

SOUTHPORT MP Damien Moore's Office responding to our question about funding... Please click on this link to see an unedited .pdf file, from the Treasury, that has more information on it.  The current understanding is that they will be contacting Local Authorities very soon to provide more information about support for businesses.  We are told that Sefton Council have said that they will be publishing information on their website as well.

19/03/2020 21:51

NSPCC Comments about School closures

THE NSPCC's response to the announcement that schools will be closed, but will remain open for vulnerable children, I hope it is useful for your coverage... Anna Edmundson, NSPCC Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said:- "The Government has clearly acknowledged the need to keep children safe from abuse and neglect during this national health emergency. Teachers act as the eyes and ears for the community and have a vital role in ensuring children receive the right protection. Therefore, it is encouraging that the most vulnerable young people will continue to go to school to find safety and support. But the process needs to be carried out with care and sensitivity to avoid children feeling as though they are being singled out. It is also important to recognise that this is not black and white as there will be children that are vulnerable to abuse but fall outside this process. At the NSPCC, we will be looking closely at the detail of the plans and we look forward to discussing how they will work in practice with the Government."

19/03/2020 21:46

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement on Coronavirus

THE Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on 19 March 2020, said that says worst of crisis over the next 3 months if people follow the rules. This is the full statement issued by him at a press conference at 10 Downing Street, published 18 March 2020
PM statement on Coronavirus: 18 March 2020

From:- Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP  that was delivered on:- 18 March 2020.

"Good afternoon. And thanks for coming or for indeed tuning in to these daily updates. I want to introduce, I'm sure you know Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, and you know Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Advisor.

I want to tell you where we got to in our national fightback against the Coronavirus. Today the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies met to discuss the latest evidence on the spread of the virus and the effects of the measures we have already taken to slow its spread. And Patrick is going to update us in a second about that.

I want to repeat that everyone; everyone; must follow the advice to protect themselves and their families, but also; more importantly; to protect the wider public. So stay at home for 7 days if you think you have the symptoms.
Remember the two key symptoms are high temperature, a continuous new cough.

Whole household to stay at home for 14 days if one member in that household thinks he/she has the symptoms. Avoid all unnecessary gatherings; pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, theatres and so on and work from home if you can. Wash your hands.

And we have already announced in the last few days we will massively scale up our testing capacity in the weeks ahead so we hit 25,000 tests a day.

A huge public information campaign is being rolled out so people get all the information they need to protect themselves and others.

We are asking retired healthcare professionals to come back and help us cope, help the NHS to cope, with this unprecedented challenge.

And we will continue as we have from the beginning to do the right thing at the right time and to follow the best scientific advice.

And we come today to the key issue of Schools where we have been consistently advised that there is an important trade off. And so far the judgment of our advisers has been that closing Schools is actually of limited value in slowing the spread of the epidemic.

And that is partly because counter intuitively Schools are actually very safe environments. And in this disease and epidemic children and young people are much less vulnerable.

And hitherto the advice has been that we should keep Schools open if possible in order to reduce the pressure on the NHS and on all other public services. But I think you'll agree I have always been very clear that this is a balanced judgment and one that we have kept under constant review.

So looking at the curve of the disease and looking at where we are now; we think now that we must apply downward pressure, further downward pressure on that upward curve by closing the Schools.

So I can announce today and Gavin Williamson making statement now in House of Commons that after Schools shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils; for the vast majority of pupils- until further notice. I will explain what I mean by the vast majority of pupils.

The objective is to slow the spread of the virus and we judge it is the right moment to do that.
But of course, as I've always said, we also need to keep the NHS going and to treat the number of rising cases. So we need health workers who are also parents to continue to go to work.

And we need other critical workers with children to keep doing their jobs too; from police officers who are keeping us safe to the supermarket delivery drivers, social care workers who look after the elderly and who are so vital. We will be setting out more details shortly about who we mean in these groups.

So we therefore need Schools to make provision for the children of these key workers who would otherwise be forced to stay home. And they will also need to look after the most vulnerable children.

This will mean there will of course be are far fewer children in Schools and that will help us to slow the spread of the disease. And these measures are crucial to make sure the critical parts of the economy keep functioning and public services keep functioning.

So we are simultaneously asking nurseries and private Schools to do the same, and we are providing financial support where it is needed. We are making provisions to supply meals and vouchers for children eligible for free School meals. And where some Schools are already doing this, I want to make it clear we will reimburse the cost. And of course this does mean that exams will not take place as planned in May and June. Though we will make sure that pupils get the qualifications they need and deserve for their academic career.

Now I know that these steps will not be easy for parents or teachers. And for many parents, this will be frustrating, and it will make it harder for them to go out to work.

And of course that is one of the reasons we haven't wanted to go ahead and that's why we are working now on further measures to ensure that we support not just businesses but also individuals and their families to keep our economy going as Rishi Sunak the Chancellor outlined yesterday.

I also need to remind parents that, as we have already advised, children should not be left with older grandparents, or older relatives, who may be particularly vulnerable or fall into some of the vulnerable groups and I know that will be difficult too. And I want to thank families for their sacrifice at this difficult time. I want to thank whole country for the efforts people are making to comply with these measures.

I particularly want to thank the teachers, head teachers and all the support staff who keep Schools going who will make these exceptional arrangements work, for the benefit of us all.

By looking after the children of key workers they will be a critical part of our fight back against Coronavirus. As I have said, we will take the right steps at the right time, guided by the science.

We believe the steps we have already taken, together with those I am announcing today, are already slowing the spread of the disease.

But we will not hesitate to go further, and faster, in the days and weeks ahead.

And we will do whatever it takes to so that we beat it together."

Published 18 March 2020


(Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered, issued by No. 10's Press Office)

A message from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

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 2 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.

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 1st 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.

For more information about waste collection and recycling across Merseyside, visit the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority website merseysidewda.gov.uk.

19/03/2020 14:22

Dogs Trust Merseyside releases Coronavirus response plans

THE Dogs Trust on Merseyside has announced temporary changes to its activities following Government advice to limit non-essential contact. The Trust will move to appointment only system, from 5pm, on Friday, 20 March 2020. They are also Charity is no longer taking charity shop goods at re-homing centres or shops, to limit unnecessary contact and will advise when receiving new stock again. Members of the public wishing to book an appointment can call the contact centre on:- 02078370006, until further notice.  The charity will also run appointments for people who wish to give up their dog for any reason. People who have a current reservation or are due to collect their new family member will not be affected and can contact their local centre, by phone of they have any questions. The charity is also postponing all non-essential community events and has suspended Dog School training classes, including those based at the re-homing centre, for the time being. Those wishing to donate any pre-loved items to the charity are asked not to bring donations to the Huyton based centre or nearest charity shop, in Shrewsbury, in person, until further notice.

A message from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service

LIVERPOOL'S Mayor Joe Anderson has issued a rallying cry to the City to help tackle the Coronavirus challenge. He has 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 are now live and can be called on:- 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:- Liverpool.Gov.UK/Coronavirus.


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."

It has also established dedicated social media feeds at:- facebook.com/covidliverpool and twitter.com/covidliverpool.

18/03/2020 14:22

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service ask people to print this leaflet off and pass it on!

MERSEYSIDE Fire and Rescue Service have today said that:- "We know that more and more members of our community will now either be self isolating or spending more time at home in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). We know how stressful this can be, and that's why we want to make sure you stay as safe as possible. We have put together the below leaflet filled with some useful safety tips to make sure you and your loved ones stay safe from fire during these difficult times. It's really important that we all work together and check on our elderly and vulnerable neighbours and relatives and offer them support. If they are self isolating due to their age or underlying health conditions, check if you can help by picking up items from the shop and leaving it on their doorstep. If you are picking up shopping for those who are unable to do so, please print this leaflet off and put it into the shopping before you deliver it." To see this leaflet, please click on here now.