The government has issued the following guidance on who is a key worker and who can look after children. The main sectors are further down this article.

Guidance:

As a country, we all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

That is why the government has given clear guidance on self-isolation, household isolation and social distancing.

And the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.

That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.

It is important to underline that schools, all childcare settings (including early years settings, childminders and providers of childcare for school-age children), colleges and other educational establishments, remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.

Schools, and all childcare providers, are therefore being asked to continue to provide care for a limited number of children – children who are vulnerable, and children whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home.

Vulnerable children include children who are supported by social care, those with safeguarding and welfare needs, including child in need plans, on child protection plans, ‘looked after’ children, young carers, disabled children and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.

We know that schools will also want to support other children facing social difficulties, and we will support head teachers to do so.

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.
If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:

Health and social care
This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare
This includes childcare, support and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response, or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Public safety and national security
This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

If workers think they fall within the critical categories above, they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

If your school is closed, then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend.

We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease.

Many shops are still seeing shortages of certain items. Please don’t buy more then you currently need.

Many essential workers including NHS staff cannot chose when to shop and if they can’t get what they need it will affect their ability to work. Also, please don’t buy more fresh food than you need to avoid wastage and to help vulnerable people.

Finally some supermarkets are opening early or offering the first hour to elderly and vulnerable people. It s essential that only those customers go to buy their food in that hour for everyone’s health!

April’s council tax payments are currently set to be taken as per normal by the Council. This may change if government intervenes but at the moment expect this payment to be taken from your account.

However, the council is expecting a substantial hardship grant from the government in the coming days. If you cannot pay, contact the Council immediately and they will help find a solution.

Newsquest who own titles such as The Northern Echo and The Advertiser are offering local businesses a free advert in next weeks editions.

Visit http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/freeadvert to find out more.

It is being suggested that businesses impacted by proposed changes to business rates may wish to withhold their initial business rates payment for April to allow for government measures to be full implemented. The council is planning to write out to businesses shortly as further government updates come through.

The Council is closing down certain non essential services on government advice and to ensure continuity of key services.

Press release:

Council’s continuing response to COVID-19 guidance

Durham County Council has announced further details of how its services and events are affected in response to government guidance on Coronavirus.

The council is continuously reviewing emerging government advice on how best to stop the spread of COVID-19, and considering how it can maintain essential services to residents in light of this.
The authority yesterday announced the cancellation of next month’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, with stallholders and those who had bought tickets to receive full refunds.
It has today announced the following further changes to services and events based on the latest guidance:
• All council venues are to shut from close of play today, or not reopen following winter closures, until further notice. These include Durham’s Gala Theatre, the Empire Theatre at Consett, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Durham Town Hall, Binchester Roman Fort, Bowlees Visitor Centre and Killhope Lead Mining Museum. People who have bought tickets for shows and performances up until the end of May will be contacted to arrange refunds. Gala members will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership.
• All council leisure centres and libraries are to shut from close of business today until further notice. Leisure centre memberships, including fitness, swimming and swimming lessons, will be frozen for the period of the closure and direct debit payments automatically adjusted while sites are closed. Anyone who has paid up front for any membership, will have the period of the closure added to the end of their membership. The mobile library service will continue to operate and residents can continue to access a range of online library services, including e-books and e- magazines. The council is currently looking at how access to computers currently provided at libraries can be maintained once they close. Fines accrued while they are shut will be waived

All council events up until the end of April will be cancelled or postponed. Durham Adventure Festival, which was due to take place at the Gala Theatre from 24 to 26 April, has been cancelled. People who have bought tickets will be contacted to arrange refunds.
• The full council meeting scheduled for next Wednesday 26 March will not convene, with all other council meetings cancelled until the end of the month when the situation will be reviewed in light of government guidance.
• The Big Spring Clean litter-picking campaign has been cancelled with a decision to be made on whether events as part of it can take place later in the year.
In addition to the above, the Police and Crime Commissioner election planned for May has already been postponed.
The council is prioritising essential services, including adult and children’s services, refuse collections and support for community and voluntary groups and businesses. Customer access points will continue to be open and provide a service to residents, as are the One Point hubs and family centres. Household waste recycling centres remain open.
The council’s schools are open and following the latest government guidance.
Terry Collins, the council’s chief executive, said: “We are continuously reviewing the guidance from government as it is issued and considering all the services we provide and the events we organise in light of it.
“We have had to take some really difficult decisions but these are based on government advice and out of a desire to protect the health, wellbeing and safety of everyone in the county.
“We are doing our best to ensure the priority services we provide to residents – particularly the most vulnerable such as adults who receive social care and looked after children – are affected as little as possible. Similarly we are doing all we can to support businesses and those who suffer financial hardship, and working with other agencies to co-ordinate volunteering efforts in communities at this difficult time.
“We are looking at whether we need to change how we deliver some services in light of the current situation and will ensure residents are kept fully informed in the fast changing situation.”
Amanda Healy, the council’s director of public health, added: “The decisions we have taken are to assist with the government’s advice that people should reduce unnecessary social contact and to self-isolate if the guidance is that they should.
“We would encourage everyone to follow the advice from Public Health England on how best to protect themselves which includes washing their hands for 20 seconds more often. We understand the impact this is having on our residents’ mental wellbeing and we are increasing support and advice in relation to personal wellbeing and mental health.”

Information about how services and events are affected will be available on the council’s
website at www.durham.gov.uk/coronavirus

Ends

Government advice is that children MUST NOT be looked after by older grandparents or other old relatives.

Key workers’ children must still attend school unless showing symptoms.

More details are being released by the government.

I was delighted today to visit Sainsburys and collect and drop off for sorting a huge amount of donations – 140kg! Thank you to everyone. We still need more donations urgently. Please view my other post a few days ago for the types of things we need.

There is an excellent article on the BBC website at

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51873799

The World Health Organisation has some good advice including avoiding watching, listening to or reading news that may cause you to feel distressed.

Seek information simply to protect yourself and your family and to prepare.

When you do need to get updates on current developments set specific times to do this to avoid spending all day checking out the news.

Anyone who is struggling financially due to the current situation can contact their bank and request a 3 month payment holiday on their mortgage.

If you call and find that banks are not offering this please do let us know so we can report this.