masks.pdf 1 10/09/2020 12:37 HEALTHIER LIVES ARTS & EVENTS COMMUNITY NEWS Latest Covid-19 Having a East End street C M Y CM MY advice staycation? makeover CY CMY K SEE PAGES 4-7 SEE PAGES 26-27 SEE PAGES 30-33 ISSUE EIGHTEEN // SEPTEMBER 2020 Dizzee’s back! The Bow-born rapper returns to his roots - see pages 12-13 NEWS FROM TOWER HAMLETS COUNCIL AND YOUR COMMUNITY The last few months have been incredibly challenging for 4-7 // Healthier lives 22-24 // Walk with everyone and we’ve rallied together in Tower Hamlets to Staying in the know, Graham Barker support one another. We must continue to all play our part do your bit, shielding Trotting around the in ensuring that we do everything we can to prevent further advice, Covid- borough. spikes in Covid-19. If you do show any symptoms, please do 19 community get a test. champions, where 26-29 // Arts & While things are not fully back to normal, it’s good that to go for help, NHS events more children have gone back to school and, where it Test and Trace, get the Having a staycation, what’s is safe, more businesses have been able to reopen. As a flu vaccine as winter on listings. council, we’ve also begun reopening services where we can approaches. but you’ll have to bear with us as we continue to adapt to a 30-33// Community news changing situation. 8-9 // Young people and Recognition for borough super families volunteer, join us Nextdoor, I know that residents will be concerned about the economic united we’re stronger – impact of Covid-19. We’ll continue to support businesses Lifelong laughter and learning, #TowerHamletsTogether, new mural through this and will keep lobbying government, where borough partnership column. celebrates the NHS, East End street needed, to support all of our communities in the borough. makeover, music for the mind, on Responding to the impact of the pandemic has obvious- 11 // Clean & green board for volunteering. ly been a key focus for us here at the council in 2020. I Recycling: We can all play our part. want to pay tribute to our frontline staff and our partners 34 // Council news who have worked incredibly hard for you, our residents, 12-13 // Celebrating our Let’s Talk Tower Hamlets, a role for us throughout this time. borough all in tackling racial inequality. However, we have also continued to make progress on oth- Rapper returns to his roots. 35-36 // Reader survey er priorities: delivering new council homes; cleaning up the Give your views on Our East End. borough with our waste service, which was brought back 15 // Jobs & economy under council management earlier this year; and looking at Pavement dining to give Brick Lane 38-39 // Harmony ways to make the borough fairer. businesses a boost, Deborah’s dedication Council news in Bengali and Somali. recognised. We’re establishing a race commission to look at how we 40-41// History tackle some of the root causes of inequality. We’re taking 16-17 // Spotlight action to clean up our air quality and, through our Live- Slavery woven into the fabric able Streets programme, making it easier to get around The data crunchers of everyday life. the borough on bike and foot. This will deliver real keeping our borough improvements to make Tower Hamlets an safe. 43 // Council news even better place to live. Whatever it takes, a 18 // Safer blooming partnership, I’m sure that the next few months will Together check you’re up to date continue to be challenging for us but I and registered to vote. also know that we’ll get through them Fight to tackle drugs together. continues, action 44-45 // Know against ASB and As ever you can get in touch your council car bars. with me by emailing Contact details for the mayor and [email protected] or councillors. calling 020 7364 4000. 21 // Housing Car park makes way for brand new 46-47 // Useful information John Biggs, council homes, flat fire tragedy Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council news, meeting dates and how prevented by fire safety work. to get in touch. Our East End is produced by: Tower Hamlets Council Sign-up to Facebook Editorial enquiries: 020 7364 4389 Tower Hamlets news /Towerhamletscouncil Email: [email protected] Twitter Find out what’s on, get Tower Hamlets Advertising enquiries: 020 7364 6005 news, take part in competitions and receive @TowerHamletsNow Printed by: Reach Printing Services local offers straight into your inbox! Instagram Distributed by: London Letterbox Marketing Visit www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/signup @TowerHamletsNow 2 // Our EastEnd SEPTEMBER 2020 // // 2020 SEPTEMBER Our EastEnd // 3 KEEP Do your bit We all have an important role to play in ensuring we stay safe, including here at TOWER HAMLETS the council. This is especially important as winter approaches, bringing with it the SAFE seasonal health challenges and additional pressures for the NHS. • Self-isolate for at least 10 days if you have tested positive for Covid-19 or have a high temperature, a new continuous cough or a loss of taste or smell. • Self-isolate for 14 days if someone you live with or share a PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS support bubble with has symptoms or has tested positive, or you’ve been told by NHS Test and Trace that you’ve been in contact with someone who has Covid-19. • Get a test immediately if you experience symptoms – do not wait. You can order a home testing kit or visit a test site near you. Visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119. • Try to stay at least two metres (three steps) away from anyone you do not live with or share a support bubble with wherever possible, or one metre with other precautions such as wearing a face covering. • Wash your hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 Shielding advice seconds. You can use hand sanitiser if soap and water are not HANDS FACE SPACE available. If you are clinically extremely vulnerable and were advised to shield during the peak of the pandemic, you do not need to shield at the moment. You can now follow the • Wear a face covering on public transport, in shops and same advice as the general population but continue to take extra care such as working Wash hands Wear a face Keep a safe other enclosed areas. This is now a requirement for many from home wherever possible and keeping your overall social interactions low. more indoor spaces and venues, so don’t get caught out! You could be advised to shield again if the situation changes and there is an increase in the transmission of Covid-19. regularly covering distance • Shop safe and shop local. The details of people who were shielding are kept securely on the shielded patient • Walk and cycle to travel around where possible. list by NHS Digital and you will be written to if the advice changes. More information is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus • Follow the rule of six. You must not meet with people from other households Covid-19 community champions socially in groups of more than six, indoors or outdoors, including in private homes. Covid-19 secure venues, such as One way we’re helping to ensure our residents are informed and in tune with the places of worship, restaurants and pubs can still host larger latest Covid-19 advice is through our Covid-19 community champion programme. Staying in the know It’s simple. Residents sign up to become champions and we regularly share up to numbers in total but groups of up to six must not mix or form date advice and information on Covid-19 with them. Champions then share this with HEALTHIER LIVES we can to contain the virus by following larger groups. A single household or support bubble larger their families, friends and their wider communities and help them to understand it. government and NHS advice so we can than six can still gather together and educational and work continue doing the things we love and You can sign up to become a Covid-19 community champion and find out more settings are not affected. By LUCY FORDHAM avoid a local lockdown. online – visit www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/covidchampions Lockdown has been gradually easing Local lockdowns and restrictions could over the last couple of months, which has be imposed at any time in response to meant we have all been able to get back an outbreak. In July, we published our to some sense of normality. From seeing local outbreak control plan, which sets Where to go for help friends and family at a safe distance to out how we will work with partners, Other phonelines: eating out and supporting our favourite including Public Health England, to Go online local restaurants, many of us will have prevent and manage any outbreaks of www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/coronavirus for council information and support Concerns about children and started settling into a new way of life. Covid-19. The plan also looks at how we young people However, as restrictions have reduced, www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/homeresources for fun activities and ideas to stay active will manage outbreaks in some of our 020 7364 5006 cases of Covid-19 have risen across high-risk settings, including care homes, www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/selfisolation if you’re self-isolating and need help or support Adult safeguarding London with the highest number of schools, places of worship and work. www.nhs.uk/coronavirus for the latest NHS information, advice and to book a test 020 7364 5005 positive test results among those aged Our team of public health experts 20 - 29.