Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Council services
Please click on the following link for an update on the status of all council services: www.chichester.gov.uk/councilservicestatus
 

Council meetings

We are monitoring the situation very closely and are reviewing council meetings on a case by case basis based on the latest Government guidance. 

The Government has updated staying at home Coronavirus - advice for households with possible coronavirus infection .

Do not leave your home if you have either:

• a high temperature - this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
   

This will help to protect others in your community while you are infectious.

How long to stay at home:

• if you live alone and have symptoms, stay at home for 7 days
• if you live with other people, they should stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person got symptoms

Full advice from the NHS, including information on the symptoms and how to prevent the spread of coronavirus, is available on the NHS website.

The Government has also issued  Coronavirus - advice for people at high risk

It is very important that individuals with symptoms that may be due to coronavirus and their household members stay at home. Staying at home will help control the spread of the virus to friends, the wider community, and particularly the most vulnerable.

The Government has also issued guidance for people about how to self isolate. .

Social distancing measures are steps you can take to reduce the social interaction between people. This will help reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is especially important for:

• people with long-term health conditions (check the government guidance on social distancing for a full list)
• people who are 70 or over
• people who are pregnant
• people who have a weakened immune system

The Government has issued advice on social distancing as well as specific advice to help protect older people and vulnerable adults, which can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

The Prime Minister announced on 23 March that everyone must stay at home to help stop the spread of coronavirus. You should only leave the house for 1 of 4 reasons:

• shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent 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, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
• travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home

Gatherings of more than two people in public are banned, unless they are members of your own household, and social events, weddings and baptisms cannot go ahead - but funerals can.

The Government has issued  Coronavirus - advice for people at high risk

We are reminding everyone to follow this advice from Public Health England:

• Always carry tissues with you and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Then bin the tissue, and wash your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using public transport.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

Full advice from the NHS, including information on symptoms and how to prevent the spreading of coronavirus, is available on the NHS website.

The Government has also issued advice for care homes, vulnerable and older people, which can be found  on the adult social care guidance page of the Government's website. .

Please read the Coronavirus - social distancing for businesses  from the Government which details which businesses have been asked to close to help reduce the spread of the virus.

The Government has also issued advice on social distancing

The Government has issued guidance to assist employers and businesses  in providing advice to staff about coronavirus.

The Government has announced its intention to increase the Business Rates Retail Discount to 100% and increase the Pubs Discount for the 2020/21 financial year. We are awaiting further information and instructions about these changes from the government. We will issue revised bills for rate payers who are eligible for the discounts as soon as we are in a position to do so. In the meantime, please make payments according to your current bill until you receive a revised bill from us. Any overpayment will be refunded to you. Please find more information on our Council Tax and Benefits service Frequently Asked Questions page: www.chichester.gov.uk/taxandbenefitsfaq or visit  Coronavirus - support for businesses

The government has also announced a range of measures to support businesses. You can find more information, please visit our business support Frequently Asked Questions page at: www.chichester.gov.uk/businesssupportfaqs or visit  the Government's website.

The latest Department of Health & Social Care and Public Health England information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is available to read on the Government website.

Information about the number of cases, countries and specified areas affected by COVID-19 is also available on the Government website

We are working closely with our partners, including Public Health England, which is leading the national response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Different services and government agencies are responsible for leading different parts of our response:

• Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC): the Chief Medical Officer for England confirms each incident

• Public Health England (PHE): co-ordinate the response, information and advice on the Coronavirus (Covid-19)

• NHS: local and national NHS services are working on the front line to test individuals, and provide advice through calls to NHS 111

• West Sussex County Council: provides local public health leadership by working in partnership to safeguard the county.  They are working with system partners via the LHRP (Local Health Resilience Partnership) and LRF (Local Resilience Forum) to ensure appropriate application of the Sussex pandemic Plan.

Due to staff shortages, we are currently prioritising domestic waste (black bins) and green waste. 

We will endeavour to collect your recycling on your normal collection day but this is likely to become increasingly difficult. 

Please put your bins out for collection on your normal day, and place them at the roadside for ease of collection. In all cases, please leave your bin out for collection all day as our crews may be arriving later than usual. If we cannot collect your recycling, please keep hold of this while alternative arrangements are considered.

Due to the scale of this unprecedented problem we are unable receive reports of missed bins either online or by phone. If your bin has been missed, please leave it out for collection on your next normal collection day and keep an eye out for updates on this page.

For updates on our waste and recycling service and for Frequently Asked Questions about this service, please visit: www.chichester.gov.uk/wasteandrecyclingfaqs

The volunteer hub, which is being managed by West Sussex County Council, is now up and running. This will co-ordinate support for vulnerable people without any support networks and those wanting to volunteer. West Sussex County Council  have created an electronic form on their website www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community/supporting-local-communities/community-hub-covid-19/#overview or people can call 033022 27980. Only those that need support should register. Those who have support networks in place - such as friends, family and neighbours should continue using the support they have. This means that we can focus our efforts on those most in need.

For updates on our community services and for Frequently Asked Questions about this service, along with volunteering advice, please visit: www.chichester.gov.uk/communitiesfaqs

Our district is renowned for its generosity and its incredible volunteer groups. The role of volunteers at this time is invaluable. We are working with West Sussex County Council and Voluntary Action Arun and Chichester. If you wish to get involved in voluntary activities, please contact Voluntary Action Arun and Chichester by contacting www.vaac.org.uk. More information on further initiatives will follow soon.

For updates and Frequently Asked Questions about our Housing services and homelessness support, please visit: www.chichester.gov.uk/housingfaqs

For updates and Frequently Asked Questions about our Council Tax and Benefits services, please visit: www.chichester.gov.uk/taxandbenefitsfaq

Here are some useful links to updates and information from other organisations

• West Sussex County Council: Coronavirus - WSCC
• The Office of Gillian Keegan MP: Coronavirus - Gillian Keegan MP