Sent on behalf of:

Abu Bah - Engagement Lead, Thamesmead Moorings
Khadijah Ahmed, Engagement Lead, Plumstead and Glyndon
Spresa Dibrani, Engagement Lead, Charlton
Rahman Famuditimi – Engagement Lead, Woolwich

We hope that you’re finding these weekly updates helpful. Some of the information included, around how to stay safe, where to get tested, and the support available, will be similar every week. However, each update will also include a different ‘hot topic’ which will be relevant to the current situation, plus an updated statistic for the local Greenwich area. 

As before, we would really like to encourage you to share the following​ information through:

1. friends or family who live in your area
2. local networks
3. neighbour or community groups you may be members of
4. with people who you come into regular contact with through your work or local group.

If you haven’t already, it would be really helpful if you could take a couple of minutes to fill out this survey, which allows us to understand how widely this Community Update is being used, and whether it is reaching everyone it needs to. Click here to access the short survey.

KEY MESSAGES 23/03/2021

 

Although there is light at the end of the tunnel with the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, for now, please remember to stay at home as much as possible so restrictions can safely and slowly be lifted.

 

It has never been more important to take every measure we can to fight the virus. Everyone needs to stay at home, except for essential activities. If you do need to leave home: Wear a mask. Make space. Wash your hands.

 

You can read all the details about Lockdown on the official website here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

 

As you may know, we recently asked communities to submit bids for a community project, to tackle the negative effects of the pandemic and develop solutions to receive, understand and share key COVID-19 messages.

If you live in Charlton, Plumstead & Glyndon, Thamesmead Moorings or Woolwich Common, you can now help decide what projects get funding in your community! Join us for our Community Champions online voting day event – simply click on your local area below and it will take you to Eventbrite, where you can register:

• Click Charlton
• Click  Plumstead/Glyndon
• Click Thamesmead Moorings
• Click Woolwich Common

We look forward to seeing you there on Saturday!

 

 

If all goes well and cases continue to go down, then from Monday 29^th March, we will be able to meet up with 5 other people not in our household, but outdoors only – for example in a park or garden.

Outdoor sport and leisure facilities will open such as golf courses and tennis courts, and parent and child groups will be allowed to meet outdoors (up to 15 parents).

Although this is a positive step in getting back to normal, for it to work, we all need to make sure we continue to follow the guidelines. We must still all stay 2 metres from people not in our household if we do meet up with them, continue to regularly wash and sanitise our hands and wear masks when in enclosed spaces such as public transport or shops.

Protect others if you’ve had your vaccine
It’s also easy to forget social distancing guidelines if you’ve had your vaccine. Even if you have had your vaccine, it’s important to remember that although it protects you from becoming seriously ill with coronavirus, we don’t know whether it stops you from passing on the virus without realising. For this reason, it’s vital to continue to follow the guidelines to protect your family and friends:

• stay 2 metres from people not in your household
• wear a face mask
• wash your hands carefully and frequently

For more information, visit www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home.

 

Today marks one year since we all entered the first UK national lockdown on 23^rd March 2020. This year has been one of the most difficult years for many people, but we have managed to get through this together, and our community has become even stronger because of it.

If you’d like to join in with Marie Curie’s National Day of Reflection, you can try one or all of the following:

-          At 12 noon,  there was a one-minute silence to honour loved ones, friends and colleagues who have died and reflect on the challenges we have overcome. If you missed this, of course take your own time to honour loves ones and reflect.

-          At 8pm, you can shine a torch or candle from where you are to light up the sky as a beacon of remembrance and hope for a brighter future. Woolwich Town Hall will also be lit in yellow.

For more information, please visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/day-of-reflection.

Most people experience grief when they lose someone important to them. It affects everyone differently. There's no right or wrong way to feel.

Changes have been made to several services, including end of life and palliative care, as well as funeral arrangements.

You may feel that you need some extra help and support during this time. There are local places that can help, such as Greenwich Cruse Bereavement Centre, Greenwich and Bexley Hospice as well as national helplines such as Samaritans and Sudden. 

Live Well Greenwich has lots of helpful links that can hopefully help you during this difficult time.

1 in 3 people have coronavirus without knowing, so to reduce the spread, you can now get tested whether you have symptoms or not. The more people that get tested, the more we can prevent the spread of this virus.

Rapid test (LFD test)
If you don’t have symptoms, you can get a rapid test. Anyone can get one of these. If you have to leave your home regularly, it’s recommended you get a rapid test 2-3 times a week. It only takes 5 mins and results are emailed to you in 30 mins. Visit www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/rapidtest to book.

Test if you have symptoms (PCR test)
If you have coronavirus symptoms (fever, new continuous cough or a loss of sense of smell or taste), no matter how mild, get a test. These tests can only be taken if you have symptoms and it takes a bit longer for you to get the results – usually a few days.

Booking is essential. Order a home test kit if you cannot get to a test site. Go to gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test, or call 119.

Please see below for information on where you can get both types of coronavirus tests in the borough:

Testing is NOT available at the Emergency Department at the hospital or at your GP practice, so please do not attend here trying to get a test. 

No single person or group of people are more likely than others to catch or spread Coronavirus. You or someone close to may have been unwell with Covid or you may well know someone who has. It’s a very infectious illness affecting so many and there is absolutely no shame to anyone testing positive. The most important thing is to make sure you stay as well as you can, if you do get it, and that you don’t pass it on to anyone else.

If your test result is positive, you and your household will need to stay at home and self-isolate for 10 days. This is important to stop the virus spreading and keep your community safe.

This can be stressful and worrying when you need to go to work. If you are unable to claim sick-pay from your employer and are a low income household, a one-off £500 payment may be available from the Government to support you and your family during these 10 days. Find out if you are eligible to apply for this payment or call 0800 470 4831 to talk to a friendly, local advisor from the Live Well Greenwich Community Hub.
 

If you’re interested in helping your community through volunteering, a short training is available to introduce and prepare volunteers for the role of Neighbourhood Champion. This is an opportunity to learn, ask questions, share information and practice.

For more information, please email victoria.smith@royalgreenwich.gov.uk. 

If you think it would be helpful to share these messages via WhatsApp or text message, we have a shorter version available for this purpose. If you would like this, please let us know your mobile number and we can share this with you for you to forward on – please email robin.clarke@royalgreenwich.gov.uk directly with this information.