The Local Impact of Coronavirus

	The Local Impact of Coronavirus March 19th 2020 The bread aisle at the Co-op was almost entirely empty The Co-op limits purchases to two items per customer The Playhouse Cinema on Cannon Street announces its indefinite closure from March 17th Cobbles and Bar Castillejar post a notice about the effect of Coronavirus on their business ConnecTED Together T.E.D. (Talk, Eat, Drink) in East Lindsey has acted quickly to respond to the likelihood of older people needing to isolate themselves as a result of Covid-19 Coronavirus. They won't be offering group activities, but they have instead come up with ConnecTED Together, a set of services to help older people deal with the effects of isolation. These services include telephone lines, activity packs, and advice and support. This is the link for further details: https://tedineastlindsey.co.uk/latest-delivery/. It is a great credit to TED that they have organised this new service at short notice. It is also very important that those in isolation are directed to established services that have good systems already in place for safeguarding those members of our community who are vulnerable, such as DBS checks on staff. Scams Some criminals have sought to exploit the Coronavirus crisis. The following is taken from an email sent out by the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum, and details some steps that can be taken to protect against them: "Whilst there are lots of people and groups who are doing amazing work in local communities, we need to be aware that there are people who will use the current situation to exploit others for their own benefit. Scams can come in the form of people knocking on your door, fraudulent emails, phone calls, text messages or posts via social media. Fraudsters will attempt to get recipients to disclose personal or financial information or click on links that may contain malware - which then will be used for their own fraudulent purposes. If you receive any such fraudulent contact please report via: Lincs Police 101 Action Fraud https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or Tel 0300 123 2040 Citizens Advice Scam Advice helpline 0808 250 5050 from 9am – 5pm For info see websites: https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/ https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ A key message to remember is Take Five – STOP – CHALLENGE – PROTECT Stop: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe Challenge: could it be fake? Its ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you. Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud." Closures and cancellations As a result of the virus, many businesses and community groups are affected by closures and changes to service, and many events are cancelled or postponed. It is impossible to keep track of all of them, but these are a few of the things that are impacted: Louth Independent Traders have decided to cancel VE Day celebrations, which were set for 8th May. The Playhouse Cinema on Cannon Street has announced an indefinite closure from 17th March. The British Heart Foundation Shop on Eastgate is closing until at least the 2nd April. The Trinity Centre has postponed all of the activities it runs, including Fish on Friday, Tasty Tuesday, Memories Matter, and Shine Drop. This doesn't apply to other activities at the centre run by different organisers; in that case you will need to contact those organisers for the status of the activity. The effect on food banks Food banks are gearing up for extra activity as a result of people who may be adversely affected by a reduction in their income. At the same time, they need to try to reduce contact and carry out appropriate social distancing in order to limit the spread of infection. The Trinity Centre will be open 9am-10am Monday to Friday for emergency food parcels only. Meanwhile, ECHO has introduced restrictions on donations. They are making room for extra food deliveries, so they are not at present accepting donations of clothes and bedding, but they are accepting sleeping bags. Stockpiling madness With shop shelves cleared of goods such as bread, loo roll, baked beans, and almost any food with a long shelf life, people aren't taking seriously the advice not to stockpile. Shop workers are dealing with unprecedented demand and are working flat out to ensure good availability for everyone. I have heard that hard-pressed retail staff haven't always been treated with the respect they deserve during this outbreak. This isn't acceptable. Official advice Visit the NHS page for its updated advice on dealing with Coronavirus. The UK Government also has guidance for the public.		Send in your news or comments about Louth. Let us know about local events. Similar Articles The Third National Lockdown The government announced a third national lockdown to suppress Covid-19 due to a national rise in cases. In East Lindsey case rates show some increases too. Phone numbers for help and advice are also available. Vaccinations Reach Louth Covid-19 vaccinations begin in Louth after the initial deployment from December 8th in hospitals such as Lincoln. Million Mask April Making a face mask is a useful stay at home project during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some people are sewing other items to help with the coronavirus crisis. Coronavirus Provokes Local Shortages Covid-19 has led to empty hand sanitiser shelves in supermarkets in Louth, and soap rationing. Hospital Marchers Are Right To Be Worried People who marched through Louth in support of the NHS and hospital services are right to be worried.