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News  »  Pandemic Update: 24 March 2020



   Pandemic Update: 24 March 2020    24 March, 2020

Pandemic Update:        24 March 2020
 


Contacting us
If you need help with shopping, getting medicines or just a chat please email baldonsinfo@gmail.com 


 
As you will have seen in the news, we have entered a new phase of restrictions to reduce the spread of Covid19.  We thought it was worth reiterating what those restrictions were and what the Baldons Community Action Group (BCAG) are going to do to ensure our villages are kept safe and supplied with essential goods.

You need to follow new restrictions
The prime minister said in his briefing last night that:

  • Shops selling "non-essential goods" including clothes and electronics stores will be closed immediately.
  • Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship will also close.
  • Gatherings of more than two people (excluding people who live together) will be banned. 
  • There will be no weddings or baptisms, but funerals will be allowed.
  • Parks will remain open, but people are only to go out to exercise once a day.  Luckily, we have a lot of open countryside around us.  However, use gloves or your sleeves to open or close gates.  Please do not spit or throw away used tissues.

If we don’t follow rules, then the police will have powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.   Most people in the Baldons and Nuneham have been following these guidelines already, moving to a safe distance when meeting people on a walk or see them in their gardens.  At the same time, we should carry on checking everyone is OK and looking after each other, albeit in a socially distant way.

People are also being told not to meet face to face friends or family members who do not live with them.  Full government advice on the new rules can be found here.
 
You can call BCAG for help
People are allowed to leave their homes in future for specific and limited purposes.  BCAG aim to do this in the safest fashion possible.  In particular, if you are in one of the vulnerable categories, please call or email us (see contacts above) and we will help you get what you need:

  • Shopping.  We aim to help either by a coordinated supermarket shop for several people at once, using the pub as a shopping hub, or other options we are exploring.  Email or call us if you need anything.
  • Medicine.  We will get your medical supplies if you are in a vulnerable category. Email or call us if you need anything.
  • Conversation.  If you just want a chat email or call us.

 
You need to take extra care if you are vulnerable
Are you at greater risk from covid19?  Please check if you or members of your household are in one of these categories.  If you or they are, contact us if you need anything.  If you or your loved ones are in the vulnerable category, you should also click here to register with the government.

  • over 70s, regardless of whether you have a medical condition or not
  • chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
  • chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
  • chronic kidney disease
  • chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
  • chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
  • diabetes
  • problems with your spleen - for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
  • a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
  • being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
  • those who are pregnant

We don’t need to know details, but please do let us know (if you haven’t already) if you are vulnerable so we can check you have everything you need.
 

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