Agenda item

Covid-19 update

Oral update on the latest position.

Minutes:

The Board received an oral update from Officers relating to issues and matters concerning the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Members were informed that there have been 16 confirmed cases of Covid-19 amongst City residents and, at present, no deaths from those registered by City Registrars have been reported. The Board was further advised that there were a small number of people who had passed away whose care was paid for by the City of London but were placed in residential care outside of the City.  

                                          

Members were advised that the UK had passed the peak of the disease and London was ahead of the rest of UK in the rate of infection numbers.  No new cases in the City have been reported for a number of weeks and the City are working on a Local Outbreak Control Plan with Hackney London Borough Council with the intention of submitting this to the Central Government by the end of June 2020. It was noted that a lot of work was underway using the local outbreak and track and trace data to refine the services and that the City had a head start on this work with a number of boroughs using the Corporation’s template to develop their own plan. This plan covers care homes, schools and other high-risk settings.   

 

Officers confirmed that 90% of the City’s rough sleepers were now in accommodation including entrenched rough sleepers. There were 179 people shielding in the City and ongoing support was being provided. In terms of mental health support, some of the services were offered online with a focus on suicide prevention. Significant support has also been offered for bereavement counselling and written, telephone, social media and online communications have been provided to City residents.   

 

The Board was informed that the Library Service had provided an excellent delivery service and local provision of food services had been excellent.  The service has taken a wide and broad approach in terms of planning and would continue to work with various community groups. It was also noted that the Culture Mile local radio station had played a vital role in the wellbeing of the local residents.

 

Officers explained that work was underway with businesses on standard operating procedures, cases and outbreaks, and working with environmental health colleagues on developing guidance to ensure effective open-up measures were in place, as well as risk assessments. Business were also being encouraged to approach the Public Health Team at the City Corporation for assistance.

 

Additionally, there was ongoing work in respect of those finding it difficult to shield to ensure they were aware of the support available to them via the voluntary sector and local businesses. Officers confirmed that the City Corporation and Hackney Council had received funding from Central Government based on a percentage of its Public Health Grant.