Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Update - 24 September 2020

Protecting jobs and supporting businesses through Winter (Winter Economy Plan)

The Chancellor has today (24 September) announced a package of measures aimed at protecting jobs and helping businesses through the uncertain months ahead. The package includes a new Jobs Support Scheme to protect millions of returning workers, extending the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and 15% VAT cut for the hospitality and tourism sectors, and help for businesses in repaying government-backed loans. You can read the announcement on the Government's website.

NHS Test & Trace app

The Government has launched its new NHS Test and Trace app across England and Wales. You can find out more on the NHS website.

Certain venues are now legally required to display NHS QR posters at their entry points so that customers who have downloaded the app can use their smartphones to easily check-in. This will help trace and stop the spread of coronavirus, allowing NHS Test and Trace to contact customers with public health advice should there be a COVID-19 outbreak.

The app does this, while protecting a user's anonymity. Nobody, including the Government, will know who or where a particular user is. Instead, someone's postcode district (the first part of a postcode) helps the app work out where the virus is spreading.

It is now mandatory for the following venues and businesses to collect customer details as part of the test and trace scheme:

• hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
• tourism and leisure, including gyms, swimming pools, hotels, museums, cinemas, zoos and theme parks 
• close contact services, including hairdressers, facilities provided by local authorities, including town halls and civic centres (for events), libraries and children's centres.

Further information can be found on our business advice and support page.

New coronavirus restrictions

The Prime Minister made a statement to the House of Commons outlining further measures in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus. A summary of the changes can be found here.

From Wednesday 23 September, office workers who are able to work from home should do so and the requirement for customers to wear face coverings will be extended to all users of taxis and private hire vehicles.

From Thursday 24 September measures include the following:

• pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, except for takeaways;
• hospitality venues must close at 10pm (which means closing, not last orders). The same will apply to takeaways, although deliveries can continue;
• the requirement to wear face coverings will be extended to include retail staff and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink; and
• covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations in retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors.
• Furthermore, from Monday 28 September a maximum of 15 people may attend weddings, while 30 may attend funerals. Business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events will not be reopened from 1 October.

These new measures will be enforced by tighter penalties. Guidance on the additional measures will be made available on the Government's website.

New package to support self-isolation

On 20 September, the Government announced a new package to support and enforce self-isolation. From 28 September, people will be required by law to self-isolate when instructed to by NHS Test and Trace. Those on lower incomes who cannot work from home and have lost income as a result may be supported by a payment of £500.

New fines for those breaching self-isolation rules will start at £1,000 - bringing this in line with the penalty for breaking quarantine after international travel - but could increase to up to £10,000 for repeat offences and for the most serious breaches, including for those preventing others from self-isolating.

The announcement can be found on the Government's website.  As a council, we will be processing and issuing these payments to eligible people in our district, however we are currently waiting on detailed guidance from Government. We will be updating people with further details as we get them. We anticipate that the scheme will be up and running by the 12 October.
 

Venues required to enforce rule of 6, NHS QR code posters and contact logs

Regulations come into force today to ensure that businesses comply with the rule of 6 and maintain social distancing between customers. Businesses failing to comply could be issued with fines of up to £4,000.

Designated venues will also will now have a legal requirement to maintain records of customer contact details and display an official NHS QR code poster ahead of the rollout of the NHS COVID-19 app on 24 September. This includes all venues from the following sectors:

• hospitality, including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés
• tourism and leisure, including gyms, swimming pools, hotels, museums, cinemas, zoos and theme parks 
• close contact services, including hairdressers, *facilities provided by local authorities, including town halls and civic centres (for events), libraries and children's centres.

The Government is also urging places of worship to also display a personalised QR code poster, even though there is not a legal requirement for them to do so. Further information can be found on our business advice and support page.

Social gatherings above six banned in England

From Monday 14 September, there will be a ban on meeting socially in groups of more than six in England. This will apply in any setting, indoors or outdoors. The ban will be set out in law and will be enforced by the police. This single measure replaces both the existing ban on gatherings of more than 30 and the current guidance on allowing two households to meet indoors.

COVID Secure venues like places of worship, gyms, restaurants and hospitality venues can still hold more than six people in total. Within those venues however, there must not be individual groups larger than six, and groups must not mix socially or form larger groups.

The Prime Minister encouraged the introduction of Covid Secure Marshals to help ensure social distancing and setting up a register of Environmental Health Officers that councils can draw on for support. Further details will be announced in due course.

You can find out more on the Government's website.

Travel corridor update

The guidance on travel corridors has been updated (24 September) to reflect changes to the list of countries and territories from where you can travel to England and may not have to self-isolate.

COVID-secure businesses

Many businesses have reopened their doors and the government has a list of which businesses should be closed. . If you would like to report a business that is not following social distancing guidance as set out by the government, please report it to healthprotection@chichester.gov.uk along with:

• your details (name, address, telephone number)
• details of the business alleged to be trading in contravention to the regulations (name, address, contact details), and
• details of when and how the business is/was operating
   

Stay alert

We can all help control the virus if we all stay alert. This means you must:

• stay at home as much as possible
• work from home if you can
• limit contact with other people
• keep your distance if you go out (2 metres apart where possible)
• wash your hands regularly

Do not leave home if you or anyone in your household has symptoms.

The Government is reminding everyone of three simple actions that we must all do to keep on protecting each other:

• Wash hands: keep washing your hands regularly
• Cover face: wear a face covering in enclosed spaces, and
• Make space: stay at least two metres apart — or one metre with a face covering or other precautions.

Please always refer to the government coronavirus guidance and support. This includes:

• protecting yourself and others from coronavirus, including guidance on social distancing
• testing for coronavirus, including NHS Test and Trace
• what you can and can't do during the coronavirus outbreak
• what to do if you have symptoms or are at high risk
• how to help stop the spread of coronavirus
• help for vulnerable people
• work, financial support and money
• health and wellbeing guidance, and
• advice and support for businesses and self-employed people, and much more.

Council messages
 

Public toilets

A quick reminder that all of our public toilets are open daily from 7am - 7.30pm and are regularly cleaned and checked throughout the day. Please remember to observe social distancing and hygiene measures when using these facilities. You can view a map of our public toilets on our parking pages.

Play Parks

Our play areas are now open once again for you to enjoy. We look forward to welcoming you back, but please make sure you follow the guidelines that are in place at each site for your own safety. You can find these on our play areas page..

Council services

Please click on the following link for an update on the status of all council services: Service status

Council meetings

Public meetings are now being streamed live online. You can find out more on our View council meetings page, which includes a link to access the webcasts.

If you wish to submit a question for a public meeting, please visit Speaking at Council and committee meetings

Our role

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.
   

A message from our staff and councillors

Our staff and councillors would like to remind you that we are here to help you and would like to thank you for all of your support during this crisis:

Coronavirus risk assessment

The Government has recommended that employers publish their Coronavirus risk assessments on their websites. You can find ours here.

Stay safe - leave a space

We're asking you to stay safe by avoiding crowds and busy places; staying at least two metres apart; respecting one another; and if you have to travel, thinking about when and how you do this. If you arrive somewhere that is busy, please do not put yourself and others at risk by adding to the crowds.

Our Civil Enforcement Officers, Foreshore Officers and Community Wardens will be monitoring the situation within our communities. However, it's important that people understand that they do not have any powers to enforce social distancing and can only offer advice and assistance. Please respect our staff and make sure that you observe social distancing measures when approaching them for help. Parking restrictions are also in place for your safety, so please follow them.
If you need to report an incident involving anti-social behaviour, please call 101. We all need to follow the government's guidance on staying safe outside your home . 

Please see our Communities - Coronavirus FAQs for information and advice.

Community Guide

We have created a Community Guide, which includes key information, contacts, and guidance all in one place. The aim of the guide is to inform and assist people, and to ensure their safety as well as the safety of any people they may be supporting. You can find this guide at: Help Your Neighbour

Supporting our Communities flyer

We have created a flyer, which includes vital contact numbers, email addresses and web addresses to help you access a variety of support easily and quickly. You can view this here and print it out for yourself or for anyone you think would benefit from it.

Looking our for your neighbour

It is now more important than ever that we reach out to the people around us, and to support our Community Guide, we are launching a new mini-campaign to encourage residents in the Chichester District to look out for their neighbours. This could include offering to pick up shopping or medication, checking in with a friendly phone call, or making sure they can access the help that they need. Details of this are included within the guide and on the website referenced above, along with important advice about how to stay safe while volunteering. On our campaign web page (Help Your Neighbour), you will find a downloadable flyer which you can print off and post through the doors of neighbours to offer support and to give advice on safe ways to accept help.

Volunteering

Our district is renowned for its generosity and its incredible volunteer groups. The role of volunteers at this time is invaluable and we are incredibly grateful. At this moment in time, we don't need any more volunteers, but if you are still keen to help, please look out for your neighbours. Advice on this can be found at the above link.

Community groups and charities can find information on the range of advice and support available to them in our Communities - Coronavirus FAQs.

Community Hub

We are working very closely with West Sussex County Council, which has developed a Community Hub to support the most vulnerable residents in our communities. You can contact the Community Hub if you, or someone you know, need help, or if you want to volunteer your services in these difficult times. This will be available seven days a week and staff will be on hand to respond to enquiries from 8am-8pm. The team will be contacting the most vulnerable to tell them how to get help.

The best way to contact the hub is online. If you have access, go to: COVID-19 Community Hub - West Sussex County Council A dedicated telephone helpline is also available for residents who are unable to go online: 033 022 27980.

We are trying to keep the resources available through the hub for those who are most vulnerable, so if you do have support in place already, such as from family or friends, then please continue to use their support. This means that we can focus our efforts on those most in need.

The South Downs National Park Authority have published a map which identifies food suppliers and community groups in their area. The aim of this is to connect communities to local suppliers and support during the coronavirus outbreak. You can view the map here: Connecting communities with local suppliers - South Downs National Park Authority

Domestic abuse support

The Government has issued advice for people facing domestic abuse, with details on how to access help: Domestic Abuse: how to get help - Gov.uk  

The Government has said that the coronavirus household isolation instruction does not apply to anyone who needs to leave their home to escape domestic abuse. 

The Rail Delivery Group has also announced that those fleeing domestic abuse during the coronavirus lockdown can apply for free train travel to refuge accommodation. Tickets can be accessed through Women's Aid Federation of England, Welsh Women's Aid, Scottish Women's Aid and Imkaan.

For more advice and support, please visit our community safety and crime web page.

Communities services support

For updates on our community services and for Frequently Asked Questions about this service, along with volunteering advice, please visit: Communities - Coronavirus FAQs