Friday 20 November 2020 Dear all Despite the news from Government today that Covid cases are starting to level out nationally, we are continuing to see rates rising locally. We are examining the data all the time to try to establish any patterns, but what it is telling us is that the virus is circulating generally in the community. So, regardless of your age, the make-up of your household, what job you do - you have to play your part to protect yourself, your family, friends, and your community. Anyone can catch coronavirus and anyone can spread it so please, be careful, follow the guidance and remember hands, face, space at all times. Together we can reverse this trend.

Lockdown exit planning We are working with our neighbouring councils as well as partners in the NHS, including public health, hospitals, and GPs, to plan ahead for how North will come out of the current national restrictions in place across . Our discussions with government and our local partners suggest that there may be a preference from government for the levels of alert to be decided based on the geography of the local health system – in our case, shared with and South Gloucestershire. The higher rates of infection we are still seeing in Bristol and South Gloucestershire alongside our own increasing infection rates mean it is likely we will find ourselves in one of the higher levels of alert after 2 December. We are waiting for guidance from government about the national plans for the tier system and as soon as we have more information we will share it.

Latest case data The latest reported seven-day rate for is 305.0 per 100,000 which is an increase on last week’s rate. For context, the comparable South West seven-day rate is 195.4 and the England rate is 273.4. 656 cases were confirmed in North Somerset during the last seven days reported.

Cases continue to rise across all age groups. You can see more detail on our local case data at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/lomp. Case data is also available at national, regional, council and neighbourhood level at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/cases

North Somerset Together England’s second national lockdown has seen the reactivation of our North Somerset Together (NST) referral processes to ensure that the vulnerable members of our communities have access to support. We would to thank all of our NST partners for responding immediately to the Government's lockdown announcement, for remobilising volunteers and support networks ready for 5 November, and for ensuring that other advice and assistance services continue to be available. The central NST team at the council sent an email or letter to everyone advised by the government to take extra precautions on account of their medical conditions. The letter explained the measures they should take and reminded them how to access support. Local network partners have been communicating with people in their areas to make sure they know where to access help directly. Wrapping around the local support we have put arrangements in place to ensure that older people who contact NST can be assessed quickly by North Somerset Council’s Wellness Service. We are also working with the Community Meals team to ensure that anyone in need of emergency food receives it, and have been co-ordinating with health partners to make sure people are aware of the support available through NST when they are discharged from hospital. Two weeks into lockdown, as of 19 November, we had received 822 referrals from the government's National Shielding Support Service and 189 people have requested help directly from NST. In total, 464 people have been passed to their local network for additional support (the remainder having indicated that they had no immediate needs). Within that group, 79 people have been also assessed by the Wellness Service and four people have been given emergency food support while help with shopping is organised. We urge anyone that has had a letter or email advising them that they are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable, and should take extra precautions, to register at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-shielding-support This will make sure they have priority access to online shopping slots with the major supermarket chains, and can highlight any other support requirements that will be met by NST. Anyone else who needs support should contact North Somerset Together at www.n- somerset.gov.uk/together or call 01934 427 437. Looking ahead, we are working with NST partners to ensure that support continues through winter and looking at the role they can play in the delivery of any future vaccination programme.

COVID Winter Grant Scheme This week we have received guidance and details of North Somerset’s allocation of £528,410 of the £170 million national COVID Winter Grant Scheme. This money will be made available early next month and will cover the period 1 December 2020 to 31 March 2021. It’s intended to support those most in need across England with the cost of food, energy (heating, cooking, lighting), water bills (including sewerage) and other essentials. The aim of the scheme is to give vulnerable households peace of mind in the run up to Christmas and over the winter months during the pandemic by helping those who need it to have food on the table and other essentials, so every child will be warm and well-fed this winter. Officers are working on how best to deliver this scheme locally and will be working with schools and other providers to ensure we can collectively use this money to meet the needs of our families. Please look out for further updates.

Rising coronavirus rates in over 60s We are seeing an increasing trend in Covid infections for over 60s in North Somerset. The latest reported figures show a sharp rise in cases in the older age group, which includes some of people most vulnerable to complications from the disease. The risk of falling seriously ill due to coronavirus increases with age, and for those who have other underlying health conditions – which are also more likely in older people. With infections continuing to climb across all age groups we are asking everyone to take more care to keep those most at risk safe. Anyone you mix with brings a risk into your household, which could be more serious if you live with elderly parents or grandparents. Follow the advice closely, avoid going into anyone else’s home and stay 2m away from those you do not live with. If you work with, or voluntarily support, older residents, be extra careful. Keep that all important 2m distance if you can, and check you’re using the right PPE and you are wearing it correctly. The virus can spread outdoors if you are too close to others, so keep space between yourself and anyone you do not live with. Keep your trips to essential shops or services to a minimum and think about others when you are out. Please wear a mask if you can and keep on washing your hands. With your help we can reverse this trend. For anyone who needs more support as a result of having to take extra care, the network of volunteers who have helped residents across North Somerset throughout this pandemic is on hand for those who have no support from family or friends, or who is socially isolated. Local group details can be found at www.n- somerset.gov.uk/together or call 01934 427 437.

Multilingual flu animation Healthier Together partners in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire have produced a short animation explaining the benefits of the flu vaccination in a range of community languages. Thanks to the support of local volunteers they have been able to record the animation in 12 of the languages spoken in the community – Farsi, Kurdish, Arabic, Bengali, Urdu, Somali, Punjabi, Turkish, Pashto, Mandarin, French, and Vietnamese. Please share with anyone in your own networks who you think would benefit from the information. You can see the videos on the Healthier Together website or YouTube, where you can also find other information videos in a range of community languages.

Homecare workers to be tested weekly for Covid-19 Care workers looking after people in their own homes will be offered weekly coronavirus tests from Monday, the Government announced today. Those working for CQC registered providers will receive weekly tests to administer at home, which will help identify more asymptomatic cases and protect care users who are more vulnerable to the virus. Regular testing will give workers peace of mind by picking up on any asymptomatic transmission and protect those they care for. All registered homecare agencies will be contacted with details of how to apply for test kits for their carers next week.

Neighbouring Covid cases Health services are under pressure in North Somerset as Covid case numbers continue to climb. Our services, including hospitals, also support Bristol and South Gloucestershire, so it’s important to understand the infection rates of our neighbours as we make local decisions. Bristol’s latest data for the seven-day period ending 14 November, shows cases continue to rise with 2,248 new confirmed cases in that week, with a rate of 485.1 per 100,000. South Gloucestershire’s rates are also still climbing with 984 confirmed cases in the same period, a rate of 345.2 per 100,000. Both remain significantly higher than the comparable national rate for England of 273.4.

Mobile testing units The mobile testing units at Castlewood, Clevedon, and Locking Road car park, Weston-super-Mare, will be operating seven days a week until at least 30 November. Appointments are made available on the nhs.uk/coronavirus page twice a day - once in the evening for tests the following morning and then once in the morning for tests that afternoon.

Fresh air is key over winter Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can reduce the risk of infection from coronavirus by over 70%. As well as washing your hands well, and regularly, wearing a face mask if you can, and making sure you stay at least two metres away from anyone who is not from your household, ventilating enclosed areas will help reduce the spread of the virus. Coronavirus lingers in the air in spaces with no fresh air, increasing the risk of people breathing in infected particles, but this risk can be reduced significantly by regularly ventilating enclosed areas. You can find out more in this video. Also remember, coronavirus can spread outside when people stand too close together. While it’s not compulsory to wear a face covering outdoors it is recommended in crowded situations where physical distancing is not always possible, such as at the school gate or at the entrance to a building. In other news… Bristol man prosecuted for fly-tipping in North Somerset A Bristol man has been given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay costs of over £6,000 following a prosecution for waste related offences brought by North Somerset Council. Go-ahead for leisure centre works at Backwell Major repair works are to be carried out at Backwell Leisure Centre to enable it to re- open next year. Council’s free Borrow a Bike loan scheme supports key workers North Somerset Council’s established Borrow a Bike scheme is diverting its focus to prioritise key workers with longer-term bike loans to help them travel to work in a healthy, active and socially-distanced way. Improvements to Stock Lane, Langford begin A major scheme to improve Stock Lane, Langford (B3133) starts on Monday 23 November. Council awarded cash injection for permanent cycle and pedestrian routes North Somerset towns have been awarded an additional £473,750 from the Government to introduce permanent routes for walking and cycling and socially- distanced environments.

Marketing and Communications North Somerset Council Tel: 01934 634 996 E-Mail: [email protected] Post: Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ Web: www.n-somerset.gov.uk