LOCKDOWN

The First Minister has tonight called for an immediate stop to public gatherings of more than two people in Scotland in a bid to flatten the curve of Covid-19 spread and protect the NHS.

Following a meeting of the UK Government’s COBR committee, an effective ban is in place on gatherings in public places, excluding household groups or in a work-related capacity.

In addition – as the First Minister set out earlier – all non-essential shops should be closed, as well as public spaces such as libraries, communal parks and playgrounds, and places of worship.

“The ban extends to ceremonial social events, such as weddings and christenings, with the exception of funerals which will be restricted to immediate family only. The First Minister was clear that these decisions are not taken lightly ‘but are essential for the protection of all of us.’

From tonight the only permissible reasons to leave your home are as follows:

To shop for basic necessities and that should be limited to once a day
To take exercise once a day – but alone or with your own household, not in groups
For medical reasons or to care for a vulnerable person
To travel to essential work if that cannot be done at home. Further guidance to employers is pending.

In agreement with Police Scotland, officers will be permitted to deploy ‘soft enforcement’ of these measures, prior to the Scottish Government taking legal powers from Thursday.

The First Minister reiterated guidance of the Scottish Government for people to stay home and only venture outside when absolutely necessary. In line with existing advice, non-essential retail units are now required to close and shopping for basic necessities kept to a minimum.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Some of what is being outlined is already active advice in Scotland. But I want to ensure that the latest position is set out clearly and comprehensively.

“Let me be blunt: these stringent restrictions on our normal day to day lives are difficult and unprecedented but they are essential for the protection of all of us. What I am telling people across Scotland that they now must do to help us fight this virus is stay at home.

“Gatherings of more than two people in public will be prohibited – unless it is a household group or work related. Social events must not take place. That includes weddings and christenings. The exception is funerals but we are asking – in what is undoubtedly the hardest thing I will say tonight – that they are restricted to immediate family only.

“I fully expect the vast majority of people will do the right thing and for that, we thank you. Later this week emergency legislation will give us powers of enforcement and we will use them if necessary.

“But from tonight, if the police find people or premises flouting these rules they will give strong advice to cease and do the right thing. Within days they will be able to follow that up with enforcement.

“All of this will take effect immediately. It is effectively what some have described as a lockdown. So please do not think any of this is being done lightly – it is not. They are essential to slow down the spread of this virus, to reduce the peak impact of it, to prevent our NHS being overwhelmed – they are essential to save lives.”

Boris Johnson: Just no easy options

‘From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – YOU MUST STAY AT HOME.’

Good Evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope – and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all – the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.

That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

close all shops selling non-essential goods, including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
and we’ll stop all social events, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.

Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy – by simply staying at home – we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.

Coronavirus: council services update

Council resources are being pooled to support citizens in crisis, freeing up officers to provide critical advice to those who need it most.

• New Local Critical Resilience Centres rolled out as Locality Offices close
• Measures to support those financially affected by the outbreak
• Residents urged to go online, only phone in an emergency or critical need

At this time, we kindly ask residents to contact us online, freeing up our phone line 0131 200 2000 for emergency calls only, such as social care direct, urgent repairs and welfare support. This will help us prioritise help for our most vulnerable and at risk residents.

Changing the way people interact with Locality Offices, these buildings and 249 High Street will be closed to the general public from today (Monday 23 March) as we roll out a new model of Local Critical Resilience Centres.

These centres will provide a base for Council officers to work from so that they can target support for welfare crisis, urgent housing issues, homelessness and household support. We are looking at how we provide food vouchers through these centres and further details of this will be released in the coming days.

To ease the financial position for people directly impacted by the outbreak, measures will be in place for citizens unable to make payments.

The recovery of Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates arrears will be paused and, where necessary, Council Tax payments will be deferred for three months for those who are struggling to pay.

It’s important that all other residents continue to pay their Council Tax in the usual way to help us provide our essential services.

Following the Scottish Government announcement to increase funding for crisis payments, plans are urgently being put in place that will allow us to deal with an expected increase in applications for this important fund.

Council tenants who are concerned about being unable to pay rent during this emergency will be helped to manage rent payments and directed to advice on benefits they may be entitled to. No Council tenant is at risk of losing their home during the current emergency.

We will continue to increase the number of homes and bed spaces available for those who are or become homeless and are aiming to have a bed space for those who need it, prioritising families and those most at risk, alongside individuals needing to self-isolate.

Street-based outreach services continue to operate to support those who are rough sleeping and shelters remain open.

We’ve created an online Q&A detailing Council Tax, benefits and welfare advice. Updates on our homelessness services and information for Council tenants can also be found on our website.

Keep checking edinburgh.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest service updates.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is a difficult time and we need to adapt as circumstances change in order to provide support to those who need it most. We’re continuing to work round the clock with our partners to identify those most at risk and make sure people get the help they need.

“In just a few days, we’ve seen welfare fund requests rise rapidly – around 80% up on average volumes – so it’s absolutely critical we work to meet this demand. By closing our Locality Offices we are able to limit face-to-face contact, pool resources towards our new Resilience Centres and, in doing so, target support for those who are most vulnerable.

“As part of this we’re working really hard to step up the supply of temporary accommodation we have. This is to ensure those experiencing homelessness remain as safe as possible and we’ll be setting out further detail this week.

“I’d really like to thank all our staff, partners and volunteers who are working in what are challenging times and Bethany Christian Trust for their continued efforts to keep Edinburgh’s shelters open.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “In order to provide these critical services, we’re asking everyone to bear with us and help us keep our phonelines free for emergency calls.

Please do this by getting in touch online in the first instance if you can, so that enquiries from those hardest hit can be put first.

“This will drastically help our officers focus efforts on work to help our most vulnerable residents – those who are financially affected by this outbreak and really need our services right now.”

HOW TO ACCESS COUNCIL SUPPORT ONLINE

You can access a wide range of Council services at www.edinburgh.gov.uk and report many concerns through the website. If the matter relates to debt, benefits or welfare please contact ourr Advice Shop or the new local critical response centre for your area:

Advice.shop@edinburgh.gov.uk

Northwest.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Northeast.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Southwest.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Southeast.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Parking queries should be done online and email

Residentsparking@edinburgh.gov.uk

Licensing queries should be done online and email

Licensing@edinburgh.gov.uk

All other requests can be done via our website.

Support for those most at risk and hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak will be prioritised in all circumstances – if you are experiencing an emergency or critical situation please call 0131 200 2000.

The Local Critical Resilience Centres – which will be based in Wester Hailes, Pilton Gardens, Captain’s Road, Leith and Craigmillar – will provide a base for staff to provide welfare, housing and household support by phone and email.

Customers are asked to attend in-person only if it is critical; for example if they are experiencing homelessness, threats to their wellbeing or require urgent cash payments. This will prioritise support for residents who face financial hardship.

They will operate 10am – 4pm.

Tax Free Grants for the Self-employed?

In an effort to help the current situation for the Self Employed, HEATHER SELF, a Partner at leading accounting and tax advisory firm Blick Rothenberg, makes a number of suggestions which Government could embrace:

“It’s a difficult time for those who are self-employed and believe that they have been left behind. I am sure that this is not the case but it’s up to all of us to work together.

“Most self-employed people who have to make a self assessment return use an accountant so it is up to us to come up with ideas we think will help them and assist the government with its plans and calculations.

“This is what I have attempted to do with the following suggestions which I have sent to HMRC.”

a. Anyone who has commenced self-employment prior to 1 January 2020 will be entitled to a tax-free grant

b. For those who were self-employed in 2018/19 and were still self-employed at 1 January 2020 the initial amount of the grant will be the lower of:

– 50% of the personal allowance claimed in their 2018/19 tax return, and

– 50% of their self-employed income for 2018/19

c. For those who commenced self-employment in 2019/20 the grant will be the lower of:

– 45% of the personal allowance they are entitled to for 2019/20, and

– 50% of their self-employed income for 2019/20

Heather added: “ The grant can be claimed in the 2019/20 tax return which is due to be filed by 31 January 2021. If it produces a repayment, the repayment claim will be processed in the normal way.

“While this would not produce any immediate cash, it would reassure the self-employed that funds they have set aside to pay their taxes could be used to tide them over. Easy access to short term loans may also be needed, but the Government’s existing measures should help with this – and if not, they should be quickly extended.”

Heather said: “ This would get an initial grant of just under £6000 to a large proportion of the self-employed, and the figure would be easy to calculate. Those fortunate to earn more than £125,000 would not qualify, as they do not get the personal allowance.

“Further help will also be needed in the coming weeks – perhaps a more sophisticated system of income support, based on average earnings over the last 3 years, as Norway are proposing. But in the same way that the Chancellor has reassured employees, he needs to get some immediate help to the self-employed.”

The government is expected to make an announecement on support for the self-employed later today.

A message from Volunteer Edinburgh

We are being swamped with offers of help from members of the public.

Our current advice on our dedicated webpage

voled.in/covid

outlines how people can help just now by being a good neighbour, and how they can do this safely.

We are also sharing this information with the various online groups which have formed over the past week.

The challenge going forward will be identifying how to best engage these willing people with organisations who need help. There are obviously masses of issues to consider.

Most volunteer programmes and opportunities in the city have already changed or have been suspended, and will continue to change over the coming days and weeks.

Please think of ways that people will be able to help you in the weeks and months ahead. We will contact you all this week about how we can take this forward.

Thank you,

Paul J Wilson

Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh

How Statutory Sick Pay Works During Coronavirus Pandemic

LEADING legal firm Gilson Gray has issued helpful guidance for employers and employees looking for clarity on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to affect businesses of all sizes across the UK.

Graham Millar, Employment Law Partner at Gilson Gray, said while it is important to follow Government, Acas and NHS guidelines as the situation develops over the coming weeks, there are some clear steps that can be taken now to manage sickness-related issues.

Graham (above) said: “Employees can qualify for SSP when they are absent because of incapacity. If an employee is experiencing symptoms of the virus and decides to, or is advised to self-isolate, their absence will likely be regarded as an incapacity and they can avail of SSP.

“Recently, the regulations on SSP changed to include an employee who self-isolates in accordance with the Government guidelines. The Government also brought forward emergency legislation which makes SSP payable from the first day of absence.

“It’s good news for smaller companies as well – those with fewer than 250 employees will be reimbursed by the Government for any SSP paid for fourteen days for absences related to the virus.”

Further good news for employees and employers is that those who are advised to self-isolate can obtain a notification from the NHS through 111 which can be used as evidence of absence from work – removing some pressure from GP services.

If employers send staff home to self-isolate following Government guidance, employees will be entitled to SSP. This isn’t the case if employers are taking precautionary measures and insisting employees do not come to work – in this situation employees are entitled to normal pay.

Graham added: “If employees are concerned about coming to work due to COVID-19, allowing employees to work from home can easily resolve the issue. If this isn’t possible, employers will need to consider the current public health advice, including whether it might be discriminatory to refuse employees to work from home.

“It’s important to be mindful and consider employees’ concerns and fears during this turbulent time. As always, the normal rules on annual leave will apply and employees can take holidays during self-isolation or sickness absences, but they won’t be compelled by their bosses to do so.

“Anyone who is not on sick leave can take statutory annual leave, and employers can instruct employees to take statutory leave provided they have given employees the required level of notice – for example if you want someone to take five days’ holiday, you will need to give them ten days’ notice.”

A full version of this guidance is available on https://gilsongray.co.uk/insights/coronavirus-covid-19-qa-for-employers/

The Employment Team at Gilson Gray will continue to publish updates and information for employers and employees on its website News and Insights blog, https://gilsongray.co.uk/news-insights/

All of the teams at Gilson Gray are continuing to maintain the firm’s excellent, high quality service to clients, providing a full range of legal services throughout the pandemic.

For more information on Gilson Gray and its services, please visit: http://gilsongray.co.uk/

Citizens’ Assembly sessions postponed

The Citizens’ Assembly meetings planned for 27-29 March and 24-26 April have been postponed in line with the new public health measures announced yesterday on coronavirus.

This decision was taken by the Convener on the advice of the Assembly Secretary and after consulting a reference group of Assembly members.

The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, on behalf of the Scottish Government, supports this decision.

The Assembly will reconvene to complete its work as soon as it is safe to do so. In the meantime, urgent consideration is being given to how the work of the Assembly can continue through digital activity.

We have informed our members and will continue to communicate with them regularly. We have not taken this decision lightly, but the health and wellbeing of all Assembly members is our top priority and it is important to provide as much certainty as we can in these difficult times.

Best wishes,

Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland Secretariat

WhatsApp groups set up as communities pull together

“Street level” messenger groups are springing up across the UK as communities forge new relationships to help each other through the Coronavirus self-isolation crisis.

Messenger apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are being conscripted to connect whole streets worried about how to survive self-isolation and loneliness.

Young and old are uniting to help those without and those needing help and support at their time of need.

“A neighbour set up a group and we now have 10 of 12 houses on the street subscribed”, explains Jonathan Ratcliffe, who lives on Windermere Avenue in Menston, Yorkshire.

Ratcliffe, who is currently running national office agency Offices.co.uk from home, has been in self-isolation since Monday juggling work and family life.

“We haven’t been to the shops this week, life is testing let’s say! John down the road asked on WhatsApp if anyone needed anything, and 30 minutes later we had bread, bananas and paracetamol – it really helps morale”, explained Jonathan.

Being able to draw on neighbours for help and social interaction is going to become a hallmark of the efforts needed to get the country through the next 12 weeks.

“No one knows where this is going and who might need help. We have a 10-week-old baby with a heart condition, and so we are being extra careful”, added Jonathan. “My neighbours help now will be paid back twice over when we are out of isolation– it’s lovely knowing that there is support on our doorstep should we need it”.

Other groups have sprung up locally in Menston supporting streets and even whole estates.

One such group has been set up covering Menston’s Moorfield Avenue by resident David Williams.

“We are in the process of setting up a WhatsApp group to cover our street,” David explained. “We started by dropping a note through everyone’s door, so they knew who to text to join the group.

“We are then identifying those who need to self-isolate and pairing them up with people who can help out so people can self-organise as much as possible but also stay in touch as things develop.”

Zoe Edwards, who lives in the centre of the village, added: “We have done similar on our road although tricky when some people don’t use or have WhatsApp. We are trying to keep in touch with those people separately”.

The Windermere Avenue group: 10 houses have joined out of 12

18 people have joined the group
Age ranges from 38 to 75
One house currently in self-isolation

Resident Alison Wilson in Menston is using the platform to forward-plan a big party to celebrate the community spirit locally in Menston: “Once this is over, we need a massive big street/village party to cheer ourselves up and thank everyone for their kindness and community spirit”.

“Creating support groups now is really important. Being able to ask for help should you need it is going to be a lifeline for many people, young and old – the love and support I’ve seen on our street for neighbours has been humbling”, concluded Jonathan.

Volunteer appeal as LOVE Gorgie Farm closes to public

LOVE Gorgie Farm will close its doors to the public until further notice to ensure the safety of visitors, staff and the animals.

Edinburgh’s beloved urban farm will, however, operate as a food bank and deliver free breakfast for children amid school closures. The farm is making a call for volunteers to help with the deliveries and urging people for food supplies to stock its foodbank and to be able to cater to as many kids as possible.

This decision comes after the announcement from the UK and Scottish Governments to close all leisure spaces such as restaurants and bars during a time when schools will be closed too.

Education and social care charity LOVE Learning, who recently took ownership of former Gorgie City Farm, aims to support those children in the community, especially those from deprived areas, by ensuring that they can start the day well fed. The urban farm is also providing a takeaway menu from their recently opened café.

LOVE Gorgie Farm reopened last month after the site had gone into liquidation in November 2019. Earlier last week, LOVE Learning announced it would launch new services on the farm and it had plans to inaugurate the farm café today.

Whilst the farm will be closed to the public, the LOVE Gorgie Farm team will still be working behind closed doors to maintain the site and take care of the animals until the situation goes back to normality.

In order to ensure that the farm can reopen as soon as it is secure for the public and the team, LOVE Gorgie Farm is also encouraging those wanting to help the beloved urban farm during this delicate period to support them with donations and supplies.

Two pages have been set up – an Amazon shopping list and a Go Fund Me page – for those wanting to help the farm stay afloat remotely.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning said: “Following the advice from the Scottish Government regarding the evolution of the coronavirus outbreak, we have sadly decided to temporarily close LOVE Gorgie Farm.

“However, we will be delivering free breakfast every morning so the children in the community can enjoy at least a meal a day now that schools are closed and we will also maintain our foodbank to ensure that vulnerable people can have access to food.

“We are saddened to have to take this decision as the farm had only reopened to the public a few weeks ago and we were going to start providing new services and opening the café. However, the safety of our staff, visitors and animals is and will always be our first and foremost priority.

“The fact that we are closed to the public does not mean that the farm is not operational. Our dedicated team will still need to work hard to maintain the farm and take care of our animals so that we can reopen once we go back to normality. And we need help and supplies to support their work.

“We cannot stress enough how vital the help from the community will prove to work through this crisis.

“We need volunteers to help us deliver the breakfasts and meals from the café. Donations for our food bank will be paramount for those families who cannot afford it, and although we understand that we are living through a critical moment, any small donations will make a big difference.

“We also understand that there will be people wanting to help us from the safety of their home and as such, we have set up an Amazon shopping list and a Go Fund Me page so anyone who wishes to make a contribution, no matter how little, can help us and provide supplies to keep the farm going.

“We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support that we have received to get LOVE Gorgie Farm going. The generosity of the community has surpassed all our expectations thus far and we are sure that their invaluable help will continue to amaze us as we work through this critical moment.”

Those wanting to place orders or volunteer should not hesitate to contact LOVE Gorgie Farm through gorgie@l-o-v-e.org.uk or call 0131 337 4202.

Those wanting to provide the farm with supplies should find the wish-list here https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/1U51K7PPGAJ2S?ref_=wl_share and the Go Fund Me page here https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/LoveGorgie?utm_term=Kr264QwB9

Cunningham: put Brexit talks on hold

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham has called on the UK Government to halt current Brexit negotiations to ensure all available resources can be put towards mitigating the effects of COVID-19 on the environment and rural economy.

Ms Cunningham was speaking ahead of today’s Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs being hosted by the Scottish Government by video conference.

She said: “This is a truly unprecedented and distressing period for the entire country. Therefore all available government resource needs to be put towards tackling COVID-19 and mitigating its effects on almost every area of Scottish society.

“In this context, the Scottish Government feels that a Brexit Scotland did not vote for, and does not want, is an unwelcome and unnecessary distraction. Continuing to plough on could seriously harm our ability to tackle a virus which threatens lives and livelihoods across these islands.

“There is considering scope to discuss the pressures of COVID-19 at today’s meeting, something which is very much welcome. However, the UK Government are determined to press on with leaving the EU at the end of the year.

“A considerable amount of work is required to ensure this can be done in such a way that minimises the impact on the economy, people and the environment but the resources required for this activity should be devoted towards dealing with the current crisis. Furthermore, parliamentary timetabling cannot physically accommodate the work required to move forward the required legislation.

“We are therefore calling on the UK DEFRA Secretary of State to make the case in the UK Cabinet to halt current Brexit negotiations, which would allow us to refocus these Inter Ministerial Groups fully to co-ordinating and liaising across the four nations on our collective response to COVID-19.”