COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – information for all
Government advice on the lockdown and getting back to work is changing, effective tomorrow, so there are a few links to recent coronavirus updates and other guidance below.
Firstly, I would like to offer a huge thank you to all the volunteers of the UBW Coronavirus Support Group. The lockdown has been in place for 7 or 8 weeks now and I have had nothing but praise and gratitude from those you are helping. If any volunteer needs reinforcement in their 'patch' please let me know. We are fortunate to date, to my knowledge, that there have been only a very few cases of the disease in our area, but for many the lockdown will continue.
Advice for Volunteers. Updated guidance from OCC is here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/107d44f9-ff08-497f-b4a9-7125533ba820/Guidance_for_Volunteers_30.3.20_002_.pdf
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - HMRC Update for employers. See attached: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/files/caa80997-50b9-4427-adb7-f5bc71a685d2/Coronavirus_Job_Retention_Scheme_HMRC_Update_for_employers.pdf
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: step by step guide for employers.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-launched-to-help-get-brits-safely-back-to-work?utm_source=9b81f82c-c1c9-4121-9d1b-3456ead7138c&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate
Chancellor extends furlough scheme until October.
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-extends-furlough-scheme-until-october?utm_source=469e4bd6-b6c1-4149-a76b-97f84a86bb07&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate
Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do
Recycling centres re- open on 18 May for essential use Oxfordshire County Council will re-open Household Waste Recycling Centres on 18 May, for essential use. Essential use means waste that cannot be stored at home, or would cause hard to health if stored. There will be new site rules to ensure social distancing and the safety of residents and site staff. This includes reducing opening hours to 8am – 4pm to allow for cleaning, limiting the number and size of vehicles coming in and contactless payments only.
Queues are likely, so if it can wait, please do. If it's waste that can be disposed of legally and responsibly in another way, such as weekly kerbside collections or district council collection services, please do that. Full information about the changes to recycling centre rules can be found on their website - www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wastereopenquestions
From the Vale:
New discretionary grants scheme. You'll be aware that the government has announced a new discretionary grants scheme for those businesses affected by COVID-19 but were not eligible for the first round of funding. We know that our businesses will be eager to apply to this new scheme, so we've sent this message to those on our existing mailing lists to tell them what we currently know about the initial eligibility criteria and that we're still waiting on the full guidance.
We'll be handling these grants slightly differently as there will need to be a full application process, which we are setting up a system to handle. We'll provide further details on this in a future update.
Stay vigilant – beware of scams and potential cyber-attacks. We've been made aware that criminals have been targeting local authority staff and councillors by sending scam emails and attempting cyber-attacks while people are remote working.
Attempted cyber-attacks
Some fraudsters are replicating MS Teams, Skype and Zoom to ask people to login with their Office365 credentials. If you click the link, it redirects you to a Microsoft looking page for you to enter your details. Please don't enter your details if this happens to you - if you've already logged into Office365 then you shouldn't need to log in again.
Phishing, vishing and smishing emails – just think fishing!
These emails, social media messages, phone calls or texts, or fake websites are on the increase and working remotely, still means you can be targeted by scammers. You can help us to fight against online fraud by staying alert.
Top tips to help you: - Don't assume someone is who they say they are
- Never click on links in emails unless you know the sender is trustworthy
- Never give personal information
Here's somethings to look out for: - bad spelling/grammar or graphics in emails
- warnings such as 'urgent message', 'there's a secure message waiting for you' or 'if you don't respond…'
- suspicious web addresses
- unusual sender/caller addresses
Useful Websites -
https://www.oxfordshireallin.org/
https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/
http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/coronavirus-community-support
https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/council/coronavirus-covid-19
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help
https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/c19/coronavirus-covid-19/
If you have found any others which have been useful for yourselves, please let me know.
Face Masks for sale – no warranty given or implied
Nina (who lives close to Shrivenham) has started to import reusable face masks from Germany that have a nano silver lining - they can be washed 30 times and cost £13.50. Her number is 07738 830495. A photo is attached here: https://mcusercontent.com/c90a1a7b6d1f693a28c947f92/images/308eecbc-f11d-4e2d-b42d-e9fcf913d0d8.jpg
I have had some problems with the mailchimp system in the last week, so apologies for any technical hitches; I am sending this note to the volunteers of the UBW Support Group as well as those who receive the weekly newsletter – so some of you may get a duplicate.
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