Information from Greenwich Residents - 01/06/2021
Sent on behalf of:
Abu Bah - Engagement Lead, Thamesmead Moorings
Khadijah Ahmed, Engagement Lead, Plumstead and Glyndon
Philip Connolly, Engagement Lead, Charlton
Rahman Famuditimi – Engagement Lead, Woolwich Common
Abu Siddiki – Engagement Lead, Woolwich Riverside
Louise Botfield – Engagement Lead, Sutcliffe Park (Page Estate)
Brenda Mason – Engagement Lead, Greenwich Peninsula (Caletock & Flamsteed Estates)
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.
We would really like to encourage you to share the following information through:
- friends or family who live in your area
- local networks
- neighbour or community groups you may be members of
- with people who you come into regular contact with through your work or local groups
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 01/06/2021
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PAST 7 DAYS: 72 confirmed new cases of coronavirus in Greenwich |
Cases are still increasing, so now we’re in step 3 of restrictions easing, and with the Indian variant, we need to be extra careful and follow the social distancing guidelines to make sure this number doesn’t continue to increase. |
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7 people are in hospital right now in Greenwich because of coronavirus. |
This is a low number, but to keep this low, please follow social distancing guidelines, and get your vaccine when offered. The vaccine greatly reduces the risk of getting seriously ill with coronavirus. |
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Volunteer’s Week – Thank You! |
Volunteer’s Week runs from 1 to 7 June - this year it is an opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has stepped up in one way or another to volunteer and help our communities.
Volunteers within our communities have been working selflessly and tirelessly for almost a year now, spreading hope and reassurance throughout Greenwich, and making sure people know what support is available for them, in what has been a very difficult time for many.
We just want to say thank you – we wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for everyone’s amazing work. We can now hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel!
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Let’s talk about the vaccine – coming to areas around the borough |
The coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against COVID-19.
We know for some people, getting vaccinated can be a daunting experience and we’re working with communities across the borough to help address some of the misinformation.
That’s why our Royal Greenwich Vaccine Champions team will be visiting households in June in locations around the borough where vaccine take up is low to hear about any concerns you may have and provide information about how, where and when to get vaccinated.
If you live in Woolwich, West Greenwich, Thamesmead, Plumstead, Eltham West and the Peninsula look out for friendly faces wearing high visibility jackets with ID visiting your neighbourhoods soon. Learn more vaccine facts.
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Support if you’ve lost someone to coronavirus |
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.
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Getting tested for coronavirus |
Test if you don’t have symptoms (Rapid, or LFD, tests)
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 the virus and help stop future lockdowns.
Everyone is being encouraged to do two rapid tests (also known as a LFD test) a week, which can be collected from a community testing centre or delivered to your home. Results are available within 30 minutes. For support with home testing kits, or instructions in other languages, click here.
Don’t forget to report online both positive and negative results - that way we can track the virus. Read more about Rapid Testing.
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.
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.
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Support if you test positive and have to self-isolate |
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.
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Training available |
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.
The community working in partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Public Health.
