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• Updated Covid Information for current lockdown Guidance from Bury LA

  Mon 09 Nov 2020
  Latest COVID-19 information and advice
  for the borough of Bury
  November 4, 2020
  Bury prepares to lockdown
  A new national lockdown is upon us. From 00.01 tomorrow morning, many doors in Bury will be
  closing and largely staying shut until at least December 2.
  People will be staying home more, sacrificing time with friends and family. Occasions like birthdays
  will go by quietly or unmarked, Remembrance Sunday observed at home or online, no gatherings for
  events like bonfire night or festivals like Diwali.
  Our retail and hospitality businesses who worked so hard to reopen in the summer and have
  continued to provide exemplary service to our communities will once again be closed, some moving
  to takeaway service and providing goods by telephone or online.
  While this lockdown is different, with early years and education settings remaining open, there will
  still need to be a huge sacrifice, made by many.
  But if we are to get on top of high infection rates in our community, the corresponding rise in hospital
  admissions, and, sadly, deaths, lockdown is our opportunity to hold this devastating disease at bay.
  Key workers including those in NHS, care and education will once again come to the fore as we face
  another few tough weeks.
  Our own teams and other public services supplemented by an army of volunteers are ready to step
  up again, supporting vulnerable residents, supporting our schools and colleges and supporting our
  business community.
  COVID-19 has presented us with the biggest crisis in a generation, and we will continue endeavour to
  do everything we can to get through it.
  Together, we’ve got this
  #TeamBury
  Support is at hand
  With the news on Saturday afternoon that England was to enter lockdown, Bury has readied to
  deploy a set of support options available to those most affected.
  Support for the clinically extremely vulnerable
  Prominent among those with the greatest need are the group who are clinically extremely vulnerable
  and have been advised to not go out to shops or pharmacies. Through its Community Hubs network,
  Bury Council is reaching out to this group to ensure they have the support they need over the next
  few weeks.
  Help can be given with food shopping and collecting prescriptions as well as telephone befriending
  support and support to get online for things like supermarket deliveries.
  Call 0161 253 5353 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) for information or if you need a hand.
  Mental health support
  Coronavirus means that life has changed for all of us for a while, and it’s natural that this may cause
  you to feel worried or anxious, lonely or frustrated. If you feel you need some extra support, Bury’s
  Getting Help Line is a confidential telephone service for people of all ages that are experiencing
  difficulties with their mental wellbeing.
  Run by the voluntary sector, you can access advice, guidance and signposting to local services by
  calling the Getting Help Line on: 0161 464 3679, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. Find out more
  about other mental wellbeing support at: www.bury.gov.uk/mentalwellbeing
  Find out more at bury.gov.uk/coronavirus
  Financial support for individuals, including for those self-isolating
  A scheme that offers a one-off £500 payment to those asked to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS
  Track and Trace is now open for applications. Aimed at those on low incomes, a £500 payment will be
  made to people who cannot work from home and will lose income as a result. Further details and an
  application form are available at www.bury.gov.uk/isolation-payments
  For those experiencing financial difficulty, the government’s website offers help and advice. Find out
  more here: gov.uk/coronavirus/worker-support
  Business support
  Guidance has now been received on new Local Restrictions Support Grants and Additional
  Restrictions Grants. We are working hard on getting these new schemes up and running, and will
  provide updates via our website and social media channels as soon as possible.
  Latest data
  New confirmed cases of COVID-19 continued to increase in Bury in the week to October 29 up to a
  rate of 561.8 cases per 100,000 people per week. The numbers of patients in local hospitals with
  COVID-19 continued to increase and are now higher than the peak in April. Deaths from COVID-19
  also continued to increase in line with earlier hospital admissions, with the ONS reporting five new
  deaths in the week up to October 16 (the most recent week for which ONS deaths data is available).
  The make-up of new cases is largely unchanged from previous weeks, with most cases occurring in
  working age adults and in people who identified as British.
  With 1073 new cases recorded in the seven days to October 31, Bury’s infection rate has risen from
  549.8 per 100,000 to 561.8 per 100,000 and continues to be among the highest rates in the UK.
  The four-week summary in Bury:
  Week ending October 31: infection rate 561.8 (1073 new cases)
  Week ending October 24: infection rate 549.8 (1050 new cases)
  Week ending October 17: infection rate 418.9 (800 new cases)
  Week ending October 10: infection rate 374.4 (715 new cases)
  Stopping the Spread
  While many of us won’t be going far over the next few weeks, when we do go out it’s really important
  to keep on with three simple actions that go a long way to stopping the spread of coronavirus:
  • Wash hands – keep washing your hands regularly
  • Cover face – wear a face covering in enclosed spaces
  • Make space – stay at least 2 metres apart – or 1m with a face covering or other protection.
  Let’s follow the rules and get the rates down.
  Getting Tested
  Testing centres will continue to operate as normal during lockdown. We are working hard to ensure
  that everyone in Bury who needs a test for COVID-19, gets one.
  Please only request a test if you have symptoms - a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a
  loss or change to sense of smell or taste. Get tested within the first 3-5 days of symptoms.
  Full list of testing options:
  • Walk-through testing centres (no appointment needed) at the Mosses Centre and Chesham
  Fold (open 10am-3pm, Mon-Fri)
  • Drive-through testing (by appointment) at Waterfold Business Park
  • Department for Health & Social Care testing centres (by appointment):
  o The former Radcliffe Pool car park, Blackburn Street (open 8am-8pm, Mon-Sun)
  o Whitefield Library, Pinfold Lane, Whitefield (open 8am-8pm, Mon-Sun)
  o The Metro Christian Centre, 13 Parkhills Road (8am-8pm Mon-Sat)
  o Longfield Centre car park (via Rectory Lane), Prestwich (open 8am-8pm, Mon-Sun)
  • Tests at regional sites/home test kits are also available.
  How to book
  With the exception of our walk-though testing centres where no appointment is needed; people
  requesting a test need to book an appointment in advance. The way you book an appointment varies
  by location as the testing sites are run in different ways by different providers. You can find all the
  information you need on booking and testing generally in one place:
  https://www.bury.gov.uk/coronavirus-testing or call 0161 253 5515.
  Isolation
  Self-isolating in an appropriate and timely way is one of the best lines of defence we have against the
  spread of coronavirus.
  If you’re asked to self-isolate, please comply. If you have any of the symptoms of coronavirus please
  isolate immediately and get tested. And once you have had a coronavirus test, please go home and
  stay there until you have your result and then act accordingly.
  Bury Community Hubs can help with shopping or prescription needs for those self isolating. Call 0161
  253 5353 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) for information.
  Bury Council services
  Most council services will remain in operation during lockdown. This is with the notable exception of
  leisure services, libraries, the tourist information centre and Bury Art Museum. For latest information
  we will be keeping our website at bury.gov.uk fully up-to-date
  Next update due Thursday November 12, 2020.
  Find up-to-date information at bury.gov.uk/coronavirus
  ENDS

• Bury LA updated Covid Information

  Mon 09 Nov 2020
  Sheila Durr
  Executive Director of Children and Young People
  Our Ref SD/AB
  Your Ref
  Date 6 November 2020
  Please ask for
  Direct Line
  E-mail
  Parents /Carers of children and young people in Bury Schools
  Dear Parent/Carer
  COVID-19 UPDATE FOR PARENTS ON RESTRICTIONS FROM 5 NOVEMBER 2020
  I wrote to you before the October school holiday with the latest picture in relation to COVID-19 in Bury and our local restrictions.
  You will be aware that the government has placed the whole of England under a second lockdown from 5 November. This is different to the first lockdown as, this time, schools are to remain open to all pupils.
  Schools have welcomed pupils back after the half-term break. However, the challenges remain with:
   Pupils and staff testing positive for coronavirus
   Pupils and staff self-isolating awaiting the result of a test
   Pupils and staff needing to self-isolate as having been in close contact with a positive case
   Staff caring for their own children who are self-isolating.
  We have experienced partial and, and in some cases, full school closure during the first half of the autumn term and it is highly likely that this will be the case during November and December. Any closures will be informed by the latest Public Health England advice, safe staff to pupil ratios, and each school’s own risk assessment.
  In order to reduce the risk of school closures, it is vital that we all continue to follow the restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The new national restrictions, from Thursday 5 November to Wednesday 2 December, can be summarised as:
  1. Stay at home, except for specific purposes 2. Avoid meeting people you do not live with, except for specific purposes 3. Close certain businesses and venues.
  Further details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november
  As our schools strive to remain open during this new lockdown period we have a duty to keep the children, staff and wider school community as safe as possible. We all have our part to play in reducing the spread of the disease by following the national restrictions.
  Yours sincerely
  Sheila Durr
  Executive Director
  Children and Young People Department for Children and Young People Electronic or fax service of Legal documents is not accepted 3 Knowsley Place, Duke Street, Bury, BL9 0EJ www.bury.gov.uk