Tag: coronavirus

First Minister to feature in Radio Forth COVID 19 special tomorrow

In a first for Scottish radio, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to set to appear in a one-hour special on COVID 19 on Forth 1 and Forth 2 and across the whole Hits Radio Network and Greatest Hits Network in Scotland tomorrow.

The First Minister will be joining Ewen Cameron from 9am to 10am to answer questions from listeners and to respond to their most pressing issues and concerns about COVID 19 as well as providing the latest updates on the Scottish Government’s response.

The ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign will also be under discussion as the First Minister highlights the initiative which was launched this week to encourage people to volunteer to help their communities, public services and voluntary organisations during the pandemic.

Ewen Cameron, host of the interview and presenter of ‘Ewen Cameron in the Morning’ said: “This is an extremely challenging time for everyone and we’re grateful that the First Minister is taking the time to directly respond to questions from our listeners across Scotland.

“We know that people have many different concerns so this is an opportunity to hear from Nicola Sturgeon on the issues that matter to them and we would urge our listeners to send in their questions.”

Graham Bryce, Group Managing Director, said: “These are unprecedented times and in a first for Scottish radio we are bringing all 14 of our stations together for the special Q&A with the First Minister.

“Latest figures show that our stations reach 1.6 million people per week across all age groups and this is the ideal opportunity for them to hear more detailed information from the First Minister and for her to respond directly to their questions.”

To submit a question please visit the website: forth1.com or forth2.com.

Submissions close at noon today (Thursday 2nd April 2020).

Vulnerable people struggle to get essentials

Three-quarters of the population have experienced shortages of products when shopping in recent weeks, with vulnerable consumers among those struggling to get hold of essentials, new research from Which? has found.

In a survey of more than 2,000 members of the public on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak carried out between 20th-24th March, three-quarters (76%) reported experiencing shortages of products in supermarkets, shops or online.

A third (34%) said they could not find hand sanitisers while around a quarter could not find toilet rolls (27%) and rice and pasta (25%).

The coronavirus outbreak has also impacted shopping habits, with around a third (32%) saying they have shopped at independent and convenience stores more than usual.

While supermarkets have maintained there is plenty of food available to feed the nation, many stores have struggled to keep their shelves stocked around the clock to meet the sudden increase in demand, while online shopping delivery slots are booked up weeks in advance.

Major retailers have been seeking to address these issues by hiring thousands of extra staff, limiting purchases of some items and prioritising NHS workers and vulnerable customers at certain times, while the government has relaxed competition laws to allow supermarkets to work together on maintaining supplies of essential goods.

The government has also made plans to deliver weekly food parcels to more than a million people who have been identified as medically vulnerable.

Worryingly, in another survey of Which? members carried out in the same time period, thousands said they had experienced food shortages, including reports from some vulnerable customers who said they had struggled to get the products they needed.

One Which? member said they were struggling to get fresh food such as bread, vegetables and milk, particularly as they had been advised to stay indoors due to their age and had been unable to secure an online delivery slot.

Another member from rural Scotland said their local supermarkets, which are nine miles away, were filled with empty shelves. As these stores were relatively small, they had not yet introduced special opening times for older or vulnerable customers but were closing earlier.

Which? found that product shortages were experienced relatively evenly across all regions of the country, suggesting the issue was widespread.

The measures introduced by the supermarkets and the government appear to be having some impact and a number of supermarkets have recently been able to relax some of the restrictions that they put in place. The situation around the country continues to change regularly.

However, more must still be done to ensure effective coordination and clear communication across the country so that people are clear on the best way to access the food they need. This includes people the government has identified as vulnerable as part of its coronavirus guidance, as well as those who may be vulnerable because of their wider circumstances.

The government must also work with the food industry to develop an effective contingency plan to avoid any future disruption to supply chains, as well as addressing these issues of availability and distribution.

Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Protection and Food Policy at Which?, said: “Millions of people have been experiencing product shortages in supermarkets, with all parts of the country affected. While many can adapt their shopping habits, it is particularly concerning that we are hearing from vulnerable consumers who are struggling to get hold of essentials.

“Supermarkets must continue to work with the government to explore innovative solutions that ensure people have access to essential food supplies in the challenging weeks and months ahead.

“With coronavirus restrictions expected to last months, the government must ensure that there is more effective coordination of food supplies and clearer communication. All consumers, but particularly people who are vulnerable, need to have a much clearer route to access the right help and food supplies for their needs.”

EDINBURGH’s FESTIVALS POSTPONED

For the first time in their seventy-year history, the five festivals that transform Edinburgh into the world’s leading cultural destination every August WILL NOT GO AHEAD this year due to concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Edinburgh Art Festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Festival and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo have been postponed.

Together, the five August festivals comprise over 5,000 events across Scotland’s capital each summer, welcoming audiences of 4.4 million and over 25,000 artists, writers and performers from 70 countries, making them the second biggest cultural event in the world after the Olympics.

The festivals’ history stretches back to 1947, where in the aftermath of the Second World War the Edinburgh International Festival was founded to reconcile and reunite people and nations through art, in an event that transcended political and cultural boundaries.

Many years later the International Festival continues to present the world’s leading theatre, dance and music artists in Edinburgh’s magnificent venues.

The Fringe story began when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited to perform on the fringes of the very first International Festival. Since the dawn of this spontaneous artistic movement, millions have flocked to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to produce, and to enjoy art of every genre.

Conceived in 1950 the iconic major event, now known as The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, brings together a huge cast of international military and folkloric performers to perform live to 220,000 visitors each August, with many millions seeing the show on BBC TV around the world.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and has grown rapidly in scope and size, welcoming writers from all over the world to exchange ideas on some of the world’s most pressing issues. The youngest of the August festivals, Edinburgh Art Festival was founded in 2004 to provide a platform for the visual arts, each year bringing together the capital’s leading galleries, museums and artist-run spaces to present work by international and UK artists.

Since their visionary beginnings the August festivals have presented the very best established and emerging artists from all corners of the globe and across all aspects of the performing, literary and visual arts in what has become the most significant and important celebration of culture anywhere in the world.

Said Sorcha Carey, Director, Edinburgh Art Festival, said: “It is with deep sadness that today we announce the cancellation of Edinburgh Art Festival 2020.

“Our decision is taken in response to the ongoing risks posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the need to prioritise the safety of our audiences, artists, participants, staff and indeed all those working to combat coronavirus.

“While it has become impossible to deliver a festival this year, we remain fully committed to doing all we can to continue to support our visual arts community during what is going to be a hugely challenging time in the weeks and months to come.

“We hope that it will be possible for galleries, museums and production spaces across the city to reopen their doors in the coming months; and in the meantime, we will work creatively to find alternative ways to share the work of artists with audiences.

“We will be back next year – as always working closely with our partner galleries, and alongside our extended network of sister festivals, to celebrate the work of artists with audiences and communities across the city.”

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It’s heart-breaking that the Fringe and our sister August festivals will not take place as planned this summer. However, having taken advice and considered all the options, we collectively believe this is the only appropriate response.

“The safety of participants, audiences, local residents and indeed everyone connected to our festivals will always come first. Our thoughts today are with the doctors, nurses, health and social care professionals on the front line, as well as all those affected by this dreadful pandemic.

“Our sympathies too are with the thousands of artists and participants directly affected by today’s decision – we will do everything we can to support you over the coming months.

“Culture brings out the best in us. It gives the marginalised a voice, it shapes and reshapes how we think of ourselves and, crucially, it unites us. Since their inception in 1947 the Edinburgh festivals have existed to champion the flowering of the human spirit and, in the face of this truly unprecedented global emergency, we believe that this spirit is needed now more than ever.”

Nick Barley, Director, Edinburgh International Book Festival, added: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm that the Edinburgh International Book Festival will not take place as a physical entity in August of this year due to the risks surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is not a decision we have taken lightly, however the safety of not only our authors, our audiences, our staff and our suppliers, but also that of the people who live and work in our wonderful city, is of paramount importance and we believe that planning to bring large numbers of people from all over the world together in Edinburgh in August is not appropriate this year. We hope to be able to programme a series of online events to take place in the summer.

“We will be back! The Edinburgh International Book Festival is an integral part of the Scottish cultural offering, and we will return next year. We are already looking forward to authors and audiences coming together to celebrate the written word in 2021. In the meantime, please keep reading and please keep supporting your local independent bookshops, many of whom are offering a mail order or door drop delivery service.”

Fergus Linehan, Festival Director, Edinburgh International Festival, added: “We are hugely disappointed to announce this cancellation but given the current outlook we believe it is the correct decision.

“We recognise that Edinburgh’s festivals play a very important role in the cultural, social and economic lives of our city and country, and this decision has not been taken lightly. Our thoughts are with all the country’s key workers and we hope that we can celebrate your heroic efforts when this awful pandemic has passed.

“The Edinburgh International Festival was born out of adversity – an urgent need to reconnect and rebuild. The current crisis presents all at the Festival with a similar sense of urgency. Work begins straight away on a 2021 Festival season that will boost both our spirits and our economy.

“As we observe our essential social distancing we can, I hope, look forward to being back together soon: sharing brilliant music, theatre, dance, literature and art from the greatest creative minds of our time. Until then, thank you for all your good wishes and keep safe in the coming months.”

Edinburgh’s world famous Tattoo is another casualty. Brigadier David Allfrey MBE, Chief Executive, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “Like most people, businesses and institutions, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been working hard to adapt to the unprecedented conditions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“In the first instance, we have sought to comply carefully with Government advice and guidance in looking after our customers, staff, suppliers, stakeholders and all those who rely on our annual success and charity. In addition, we have been looking at how best to make a wider and constructive contribution to the national, regional, municipal and individual effort.

“The pandemic is impacting across the world, the Tattoo – along with other major events and festivals – will need to carefully understand and adapt to whatever is our new normal.

“We are keen to do this as a great many people have come to rely on our annual routines for their livelihood and their entertainment, with an associated benefit that stretches internationally and across Scottish and UK tourism. Now though, we judge it is impractical and undesirable to stage a Tattoo in anything like its normal form in August.

“Accordingly, we have decided – for the first time in our 70-year history – to cancel our 25 shows set previously for the period 7–29 August 2020.”

Edinburgh’s festivals bring millions of visitors to the city in summer, spending much-welcomed cash in the capital. Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Cammy Day, said: “This was a profoundly difficult decision– leaving a massive gap in our Capital – but clearly it was the right one. Our thoughts are very much with all those fantastic artists, writers, performers and organisations who were working so hard to prepare for another busy festival season.

“The most important consideration is the health of our residents and the safety of everyone in the City. We’re all working closely together as a city and internationally with the common purpose of protecting each other, whilst taking up our shared responsibility for planning towards our recovery.

“With that in mind, we’re looking at every feasible option to help to sustain our key sectors, including the festivals, and have committed to honouring all grant payments due to our cultural partners for the current year, and to the repurposing of these, as required. We’ll do everything we can to assist our world-renowned cultural sector to remain at the centre of the city’s identity going forward.

“We’re incredibly proud to be known as the world’s Festival City and must never forget the positive contribution our festivals make to our lives, bringing art to Edinburgh in a way no other city enjoys.

“We’ll continue to work with all of our citizens, colleagues and stakeholders to do everything we can to make sure we come through 2020 and look forward to again bringing the world to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to the world for our summer festivals in 2021!”

Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland, said: “We understand and support the decision by Edinburgh’s Festivals to cancel this Summer’s activities at this extremely difficult time.

“Our hearts go out to all those involved with the Festivals who work tirelessly every year to deliver one of the highlights of the annual cultural calendar and to the many artists, performers and companies who will miss this year’s opportunity to be celebrated on a global stage.

“We look forward to their return when audiences can once more marvel at the extraordinary art and creativity that will be on offer.”

Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said: “While understandable, the cancellation of the Edinburgh festivals will be disappointing news for the millions of people who flock to the Scottish capital to experience one of the world’s great cultural events.

“It’s good to see that some organisers have said they’ll be refunding registration fees, tickets and memberships, so those who planned to attend events may be able to get their money back.

“It could be trickier to get a refund for any related travel or accommodation. The good news is that National Rail has offered to refund tickets booked before 23rd March, but you will need to check the cancellation policies for any accommodation you have booked or any other mode of transport.”

 

Foundation Scotland launches community support fund

Foundation Scotland has established a new Community Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund to support local charities and grassroots organisations across Scotland.  The fund will help them respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and recover from its impact and is already providing grants.

Launched by the Duke of Cambridge, the National Emergencies Trust is a UK-wide fundraising appeal initiated which will distribute money through the network of community foundations across the UK.

‘Response’ is about providing emergency funding for local charities and grassroots organisations currently supporting some of Scotland’s most affected and vulnerable people and over 30 grants have reached communities in Scotland today. This includes funding to:

  • Support for the Senior Centre in Castlemilk to provide soups, meals and snacks to over 400 elderly people and ensure they remain connected via phone calls and essential health awareness updates
  • Enable the Rock Trust in Edinburgh working with young people moving on from homelessness to provide essential food, toiletry packages and mobile phone cards – ensuring vulnerable young people remain connected
  • Equip volunteers at the South Islay Development Trust with essential safety equipment so they can safely continue to distribute hot meals for their vulnerable community members on their island
  • Support Glasgow the Caring City to scale-up their successful Soap Aid campaign – coordinating with food delivery charities to ensure free hygiene packs reach as many people as possible
  • Help Wellbeing Works in Dundee – who support community members facing mental health challenges – to supplement their phone support with advice and discussion materials – encouraging good health
  • Equip the Concrete Garden in Possilpark for indoor play and activity packs – treasure hunts, exercising, crafts, storytelling, drawing and board games – plus grow your own window ledge kits – creative and educational for all

Chief Executive of Foundation Scotland, Giles Ruck, said: “In this time of national crisis, it is critical to get funds quickly to where its needed. The Response Fund is open and up and running.

“I’m pleased to see word is spreading fast and community charities are getting in touch – we had about 100 new applications over the weekend. We can provide immediate funding of between £1,000 and £5,000. We aim to turn around funding applications swiftly, and to keep our application process straightforward.”

Lord Dannatt, chair of the National Emergencies Trust, said: “We are delighted that there is growing support for the Trust and that we have been able to start getting money out to organisations who can help people within a week of launching – but we need much more.

“That’s why we are calling on everyone, even at this unsettling time to dig deep and make a contribution. That generosity will ensure that we get through this unprecedented time with our most vulnerable communities cared for and supported.”

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/programmes/the-national-emergencies-trust-(net)/

March sees sharp fall in Scottish business confidence

Bank of Scotland’s Business Barometer for March 2020 shows:

  • Overall confidence for firms in Scotland fell 22 points in the past month to -7%
  • Firms’ confidence in their own business prospects was -4%, compared with 14% in February
  • Research undertaken between 2nd and 16th March shows a sharper fall in confidence nationally during second week of the survey at -3%, among the lowest figures seen since the financial crisis

Business confidence in Scotland fell 22 points during March to -7%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking.

The research, taken between the 2nd and 16th March, showed that companies in the region had lower confidence in their business prospects at -4%. When taken alongside their views of the economy overall, this gives an overall confidence of -7%.

Across the UK, overall business confidence fell by 17 percentage points to 6% in March, the lowest level since October 2019.

However, the report showed that nationally, for the second week of the survey, a much sharper fall in overall confidence was recorded at -3%. It matches the lowest dip seen by the barometer since December 2011 and is otherwise the lowest dip since March 2009 during the global financial crisis.

Responding specifically to the impact of the Coronavirus, 66% of Scotland businesses stated that they had already been affected or expected to be impacted, ahead of Boris Johnson’s initial call for the public to stay at home on March 16th. The data illustrates the impact that the outbreak was having on business confidence before many initiatives launched by the Government to help combat the virus were announced.

The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.

Fraser Sime, regional director for Scotland at Bank of Scotland, said: “It’s impossible to accurately predict how COVID-19 will impact the Scottish economy, so it’s not surprising to see the confidence of Scottish businesses taking a dip as the pandemic evolves.

“The First Minister has called for a partnership to get through this period where the public sector, trade unions, businesses and third sector organisations work together to support Scotland’s workforce. We’re also working by the side of businesses and the government to help firms adapt and adjust as we navigate through this unprecedented period.

“At Bank of Scotland, we’ve committed to lend up to £18bn to businesses this year and have set aside £2bn of arrangement fee free finance to help those directly impacted by COVID-19. From tourism and hospitality to manufacturing, this support is available now. And we will continue to guide and help businesses across all sectors through any interruptions they may face.”

Businesses in the North East had the highest confidence at 23%, ahead of the South West at 16%, and London at 12%.

Those in the South East were the least confident, with an overall confidence of -10%, 16 points below the national average.

Sector overview

In March, overall business confidence fell across all four sectors surveyed. Confidence in the retail sector saw the sharpest decline, falling 21 percentage points to 9%. The manufacturing sector also saw a big decline from 31% to 11%, services was down 18 points to 1%, while the construction sector fell by 15 points to 14%.

Paul Gordon, Managing Director for SME and Mid Corporates, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “There is now little doubt that businesses across the board are feeling the impact of COVID-19. 

“Many businesses have already had to pause their work and others are trying to adapt to new ways of working.

While all sectors have displayed a real dip in confidence, it is important that businesses take the support that is available to them to help them through this unprecedented and uncertain time. We remain committed to supporting our customers in the weeks and months ahead in any way we can.”

Hann-Ju Ho, Senior Economist, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The results in March demonstrate the impact of the shutdown of large swathes of the economy to combat the pandemic even in advance of the Government’s stringent measures announced in recent days.

“Sentiment has returned to historic low levels after improving in recent months. We will continue to monitor what businesses are telling us, and hope that they can take steps to minimise the impact of current economic downturn.”

Big Hearts: Gorgie charity opens new helplines

Big Hearts, the charity of Heart of Midlothian FC, is shifting their activity to focus on phone and online support, through new dedicated helplines launched today.

Over the past two weeks the Big Hearts’ team of nine staff has been working on alternative ways to maintain their vital work to local groups at a high risk of loneliness, poor mental health, complex family backgrounds and food poverty.

The new Big Hearts helplines are designed to provide regular support over the phone and use digital means to address people’s urgent needs – whilst ensuring the safety of all staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.

Based at Tynecastle Stadium, the charity supports more than 150 vulnerable adults and children on a weekly basis, through a range of programmes including the Kinship Care after school club, The Changing Room project and Football Memories for over 65s.

Craig Wilson, Big Hearts General Manager said: “On 13 March we decided to suspend all our face to face activity to ensure everyone’s safety. Our staff team has been working remotely, completing hundreds of calls to families, isolated adults and older people to assess their immediate needs and offer some guidance and support.

“After a couple of weeks working in this new setting, we are delighted to announce a new series of landline numbers that people can call for a confidential chat and some targeted support.”

Kinship Care Helpline: 0131 603 4927
Advice on parenting strategies, peer support & service referrals for local kinship care families.

The Changing Room at Hearts: 0131 603 4929
Mental health support, wellbeing info and regular peer support in partnership with SAMH.

Community Helpline: 0131 603 4928
Social connection & advice for beneficiaries and volunteers at risk of loneliness & poverty.

www.bighearts.org.uk

Coronavirus: crackdown on fake news

Specialist units across the UK Government are working at pace to combat false and misleading narratives about coronavirus, ensuring the public has the right information to protect themselves and save lives.

The Rapid Response Unit, operating from within the Cabinet Office and No10, is tackling a range of harmful narratives online – from purported ‘experts’ issuing dangerous misinformation to criminal fraudsters running phishing scams.

Up to 70 incidents a week, often false narratives containing multiple misleading claims, are being identified and resolved. The successful ‘Don’t Feed the Beast’ public information campaign will also relaunch, to empower people to question what they read online.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We need people to follow expert medical advice and stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. It is vital that this message hits home and that misinformation and disinformation which undermines it is knocked down quickly.

“We’re working with social media companies, and I’ll be pressing them this week for further action to stem the spread of falsehoods and rumours which could cost lives.”

When false narratives are identified, the government’s Rapid Response Unit coordinates with departments across Whitehall to deploy the appropriate response. This can include a direct rebuttal on social media, working with platforms to remove harmful content and ensuring public health campaigns are promoted through reliable sources.

The unit is one of the teams feeding into the wider Counter Disinformation Cell led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, made up of experts from across government and in the tech sector.

The Cell is engaging with social media platforms and with disinformation specialists from civil society and academia, to establish a comprehensive overview of the extent, scope and impact of disinformation related to coronavirus.

The Culture Secretary will be contacting social media companies this week to thank them for their good efforts to date, assess the progress made and discuss what other potential measures can be put in place to ensure accurate, honest information consistently reaches users of their platforms.

Penny Mordaunt, Paymaster General, said: “Holding your breath for ten seconds is not a test for coronavirus and gargling water for 15 seconds is not a cure – this is the kind of false advice we have seen coming from sources claiming to be medical experts.

“That is why government communicators are working in tandem with health bodies to promote official medical advice, rebut false narratives and clamp down on criminals seeking to exploit public concern during this pandemic.

“But the public can also help with this effort, so today we implore them to take some simple steps before sharing information online, such as always reading beyond the headline and scrutinising the source.”

The public can help stop the spread of potentially dangerous or false stories circulating online by following official government guidance – the ‘SHARE’ checklist (see below).

This includes basic but essential advice such as checking the source of a story and analysing the facts before sharing.

Certain states routinely use disinformation as a policy tool, so the government is also stepping up its efforts to share its assessments on coronavirus disinformation with international partners.

Working collaboratively has already helped make the UK safer, providing ourselves and our allies with a better understanding of how different techniques are used as part of malicious information operations – and how to protect against those techniques more effectively.

These measures follow recent advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which revealed a range of attacks being perpetrated online by cyber criminals seeking to exploit coronavirus earlier this month.

This included guidance on how to spot and deal with suspicious emails related to coronavirus, as well as mitigate and defend against malware and ransomware.

To help the public spot false information, the UK Government is running the SHARE checklist and Don’t Feed The Beast campaign.

This gives the public five easy steps to follow to identify whether information may be misleading:

  • Source – make sure information comes from a trusted source
  • Headline – always read beyond the headline
  • Analyse – check the facts
  • Retouched – does the image or video look as though it has been doctored?
  • Error – look out for bad grammar and spelling.

Scotland Cares: national volunteering plan launched

A new ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign has been launched to encourage people to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

While the most important ask for the public remains to stay at home and follow the essential public health guidance, people who are healthy and not at risk can volunteer to provide practical or emotional help to those most in need.

A similar campaign launched in England last week has seen more than 750,000 volunteers sign up.

Those wanting to volunteer to support their communities have three options which are signposted from the Ready Scotland website:

• returning NHS workers will be directed to existing voluntary arrangements in NHS Scotland

• people wishing to offer their support to our public services, including the NHS and local authorities, will be directed to a site co-ordinated by the British Red Cross

• those looking for opportunities with other charities or community groups in their area will be directed to Volunteer Scotland for information

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We know there are a huge number of people who are already volunteering and many more with a desire to help their communities, public services and voluntary organisations. And for that we are incredibly grateful.

“This site means that those who are able to can contribute in a way which makes a real difference. It helps people to help each other, as we all get through this together.”

Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The Scottish Government is working closely with local government and a range of partners to co-ordinate the volunteering effort across Scotland.

“By providing this national portal we will be able to connect people to where their contribution is most needed in their local community, ensuring everyone can play their part in helping Scotland come through this pandemic.

“For some, that may involve roles responding to specific needs in health and social care. For others, it may be that we draw on their skills, enthusiasm and energy in the weeks and months to come.

“It is important to remember that the most helpful thing many of us can continue to do to help the NHS is to stay at home and follow all COVID-19 guidance.”

Volunteers who want to support their communities should visit www.ReadyScotland.org to find out how they can help.

The website is being constantly updated and provides advice on volunteering safely and the organisations to register an interest with such as Volunteer Scotland and the Red Cross.

Businesses who can offer support should email covid19response@gov.scot

In line with Scotland’s current stay at home rules the public can only volunteer to carry out tasks which involve leaving their home, once a day, if you are not required to be isolating and are not in any risk categories.

A similar campaign launched in England last week has seen more than 750,000 volunteers sign up.

Please check the latest advice at www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus

Coronavirus: coping at this difficult time

For those already living with stress or anxiety, the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 (or coronavirus) may be particularly difficult (writes BETHANY SMITH).

In normal life, many of us have a bank of coping strategies, such as going to the gym, meeting up with friends or keeping busy with hobbies and work. In such uncertain and worrying times, many of these coping strategies have been taken away and the thought of spending so much time at home can be frightening.

Firstly, remember you are not alone. It’s okay to feel anxious and many others will be feeling the same way too. It’s still important to talk about how you’re feeling and to reach out if you need support.

Practise your usual coping strategies where possible – breathing techniques, grounding, focusing on the present. If you usually go to the gym – go for a walk or run (if you can) or try following a home workout video.

Limiting your exposure to the news is important too. While it is necessary to be aware of what is happening, there is no need to overexpose.

This will only feed your fears. Allocate a set time of day where you will check the news, for example, after breakfast or during the government’s daily update. Then avoid or limit your exposure throughout the rest of the day.

Keep yourself busy and try not to allow your mind time to overthink and catastrophise. Creating a new routine is a great way to look after your mental health. Stay active and eat as well as you can.

Most importantly, be sure to make time for yourself every day. Self-care is crucial, whether that means taking a long bath, getting an early night, reading a book or baking a cake. Do something for you. Mental downtime is important too. Try practicing mindfulness with apps such as Headspace.

Remember that like everything else, this situation is temporary. There is lots of support available if you’re feeling particularly anxious or struggling to cope.

Keep in touch with others and try to take one day at a time, focusing on the right now, rather than worrying about the ‘what ifs.’

This article first appeared as a guest blog on Anxiety UK website

England: first food parcels delivered to clinically vulnerable people

  • UK Government confirms first boxes have been delivered to those at highest risk from coronavirus as biggest effort to deliver supplies to those in need since World War Two begins.
  • 1.5m clinically vulnerable people have been advised by the NHS to stay at home for 12 weeks and be shielded from coronavirus. 900,000 vulnerable people have received letters from the NHS giving them guidance this week
  • First of 50,000 free food boxes containing essential supplies and household items such as pasta and tinned goods will be delivered this weekend

The first food boxes have been delivered to those vulnerable people being shielded from coronavirus as the Government moved to support those most in need, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced today.

The first 2,000 food parcels have already been delivered this weekend to those who cannot leave their homes because severe health conditions leave them most vulnerable to the virus.

More parcels are expected to go out next week from wholesalers across the country, bringing the first set of deliveries to more than 50,000. Depending on demand, hundreds of thousands of boxes could be delivered each week.

The packages contain essential food and household items such as pasta, fruit, tinned goods and biscuits, for those who need to self-isolate at home for 12 weeks but have no support network of family or friends to help them.

Since Monday, 900,000 extremely vulnerable people received letters from the NHS giving them guidance on how to shield from coronavirus. In total up to 1.5m will be asked to be shielded in this way. Others who did not receive letters but think they are part of this clinically vulnerable group should contact their GP.

It is part of a support network the Government is working around the clock to establish across the country, spearheaded by the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP (above) said: “This weekend sees the start of extraordinary steps to support the most clinically vulnerable, while they shield from coronavirus.

“We will support these people at this difficult time, and the scale of an operation like that has not been seen since the Second World War.

“This is an unprecedented package of support and I want to thank the food suppliers, local councils and everyone who has come together to create this essential service in just a matter of days.”

Andrew Selley, CEO of Bidfood, and Hugo Mahoney, CEO of Brakes, said: ”At a time of national crisis the foodservice industry’s two largest distributors are coming together to work with the Government to create packages of food and essential supplies that will be delivered to vulnerable people as part of the Local Support System.

“In these difficult times, we’re proud to join forces and play such a vital role in supporting people in need during their period of isolation. Together we are experts in food service and our distribution networks reach into every corner of the country. Our highly professional drivers and warehouse teams will be keeping the wheels turning in this vital national endeavour.”

The government is working with a partnership of the food industry, local government, local resilience and emergency partners, and voluntary groups, to ensure that essential items can be delivered to those who need it.

Medicines will be delivered by community pharmacies and groceries and essential household items by food distributers, working with supermarkets, to ensure they do not worry about getting the food that they need.

The parcels, which will be left on the doorstep, will include pasta, cornflakes, tea bags, tinned fruit, apples, rolls of loo roll and biscuits.

  • Food deliveries are currently part of a national service, as part of a wide range of support for extremely vulnerable people and are being organised by government in partnership with the grocery industry, local government and local resilience forums.
  • Local authorities are working across the country with local partners and voluntary groups to meet their communities’ needs.
  • Those who request it will receive ongoing communications to reassure them that their ongoing medical needs will be met by the NHS.
  • Community pharmacies are continuing to supply medicines.
  • Those in need of social contact will have their details passed to local authority hubs, who will make contact and offer support.

Mr Jenrick also handled the daily press conference this afternoon …

Good afternoon,

I would like to update you on our response to COVID-19.

I’m joined today by Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

As of 9am today:

127,737 people have now been tested for the virus.

108,215 have tested negative.

19,522 have tested positive.

Of those who have contracted the virus, 1,228 have, sadly, died.

The virus is indiscriminate

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are or how old you are.

We each have a part to play by staying at home, protecting the NHS and helping to save lives.

We all have a duty to one another to keep everyone safe.

So today I would like to give you two updates, before answering questions.

The first on the plans I have put in place to ensure that every corner of the country can confront the coronavirus epidemic.

The second on what the government is doing to shield the most vulnerable people in society.

On the first question, I have put in place in all parts of the country procedures to ensure that everywhere can be ready to move forward together. All parts of the country are now on an emergency footing.

This is an unprecedented step in peace time.

We haven’t done anything like this since the Second World War.

This means that we’re establishing strategic co-ordination centres across the whole country.

Each centre is led by gold commanders.

We are bringing together senior members of the emergency services

  • the police, the fire service, the ambulance service
  • with local authorities and the NHS, to lead communities through this challenging period.

From Cornwall to Cumbria.

And we have embedded within each of these groups members of the armed forces – including some of the finest military planners in the world.

These groups are planning the local response to the virus.

Using their expertise, their judgement and their leadership to ensure a comprehensive, a coordinated, and consistent response across the country.

One issue that they have been helping us to coordinate and about which I know there is a lot of concern is the provision of personal protect equipment.

We simply cannot and should not ask people to be on the frontline without the right protective equipment.

We have a clear plan to ensure that those serving this country at this time have the right equipment.

We have established the National Supply Distribution Response Team and they are supported now by the armed forces and other emergency services who are working round the clock to deliver the equipment to the people who need it most:

  • 170 million masks
  • 42.8 million gloves
  • 13.7 million aprons
  • 182,000 gowns
  • Almost 10 million items of cleaning equipment
  • and 2.3 million pairs of eye protectors

all delivered to 58,000 NHS Trusts and healthcare settings including GP surgeries, pharmacies and community providers.

Every single GP practice, dental practice and community pharmacy has had a PPE delivery. All care homes, hospices and home care providers have or will shortly receive a delivery.

To NHS and social care workers, all those who rely on this equipment and to their families and loved ones watching this afternoon – we understand.

And we will not stop until we have got you the equipment that you need.

Last weekend, at this press conference, the Prime Minister and I explained why 1.5million people who are extremely vulnerable to the virus, due to their underlying health conditions, needed to stay at home for a period of 12 weeks and avoid face to face contact.

Since then, the NHS have written to almost a million of these people and outlined the steps that they need to take to protect themselves.

We have also established a dedicated web page on gov.uk which those in receipt of a letter should go to, to let us know whether or not they need further assistance over the course of the next 12 weeks. There is also a new phone number, which is on the letter they have or will receive shortly.

If this applies to you, I know that you will find this a very worrying time.

You will be thinking about how you can continue to access the medicine that you need, how you can get the food and other essential supplies that you rely on.

If you don’t have family or friends or neighbours nearby who you can rely on then the NHS will deliver your medicines through the community pharmacy network.

And if you register online or using the phone service that we have set up, letting us know you need support, then we will deliver food and supplies to your doorstep.

And this weekend I saw for myself first-hand the first deliveries being made.

The packages included cereal, fruit, tinned goods, teabags, biscuits, toiletries and other essentials.

The first 50,000 will have been sent out by the end of this week and we are ramping up production to send out as many as are required for as long as it takes.

If this applies to you, while you will now have to be at home for a prolonged period of time and that will be difficult, I want you to know that you are not alone. We are here to support you for as long as you need us.

We have all been hugely impressed by the commitment and the dedication of those working in social care, in local councils delivering essential public services like ensuring that the bins continue to get collected. None more so than me, as the Secretary of State for Local Government.

We all respect the 12,000 heroic former doctors and nurses and paramedics who have come back to work and been deployed this weekend.

And I think we have all been moved by the number of people who have signed up to be one of the NHS Voluntary Responders – today we can announce an extraordinary, three quarters of a million people have signed up to do that.

In every city, in every town, in every village, there is going to be work to be done and in each of us there is the power to do it.

And so please take part, please play your part, please consider your friends, your family, your neighbours when you are shopping, please call the elderly and support them.

When this is done, and it will be done, we all want to be proud of the part that we’ve played together.

Thank you very much.