Dear John,

We've come to the end of a long week and the first, for many, under lockdown. Below is my latest update on the response to the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic in Harrow. As the situation evolves, I continue to update my website – covering where to find support, keep safe and assist local people in Harrow. Be sure to share this message with friends, family, neighbours and local businesses in order to strengthen our collective response to COVID-19 in Harrow. The situation is rapidly changing and the response to Coronavirus is being directed by Government centrally working with Public Health England, the Government’s advice is available here. Government assistance specifically for businesses is available here.

As always, if you ever need to get in touch about the issues covered here – or anything else – please contact my office on 0207 219 4243 or e-mail me at [email protected]. Please bear with us, as we have received over 5 times our usual weekly amount of correspondence. My team and I are working hard to respond as promptly as possible. Although we have had to cancel face to face surgery appointments, we are now scheduling regular Zoom surgeries and phone calls with Harrow West constituents.

Work in Parliament

A lot of attention has been on Northwick Park Hospital this week after the declaration of a “critical incident” last Thursday. At the beginning of the week I sent this letter to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock asking what assurances the hospital can expect in preparation for an increase in covid-19 cases, as well as addressing the important need for personal protective equipment and testing for staff. I will provide an update once I receive a response.

Due to the situation at Northwick Park, it’s no surprise my question at Prime Minister’s Questions this week was centred on the lack of personal protective equipment and the urgent need for frontline staff to gain access to coronavirus testing at Northwick Park. This can be viewed here . I believe the response does not go far enough and will be deeply concerning for many healthcare workers on the front-line in Northwick Park Hospital. The Prime Minister is not providing the assurances necessary to keep staff, their patients and their families safe. If we are going to arrive at the promised 250,000 tests a day, we are going to need to start with those working on the front-line. As the Harrow Times reports, staff are reporting “a sense of paranoia”, as they deal with a large influx of Covid-19 patients. One staff member describes having to reuse visors previously discarded to prevent cross-contamination.

My interview with Get West London outlines some of my most recent communication with staff at Northwick Park - dedicated front-line workers who are under utmost pressure and have not been prioritised for high quality personal protective equipment. The staff at Northwick Park must be prioritised, and I will continue to fight their corner – everyone is at risk while our front-line staff is at risk.

The Easter recess of 2019 was cut short in order to ensure Brexit legislation was voted on, this week the Government laid a motion calling for Parliament to adjourn early on Wednesday. If we are expecting key workers to be in work, I fundamentally believe parliamentary scrutiny must be considered just as important at this time. This is a time when the Government are trying to find the answers to many far-reaching questions. My office is receiving hundreds of letters of correspondence a day – with constituents stuck in self-employment, waiting in a virtual queue for Universal Credit, or stuck abroad. I echo what other Members have been saying, that we are living in extraordinary times and Parliament should respond dynamically, adapting with extraordinary measures.

Finding Support

If you think you fall into a category that makes you vulnerable to coronavirus – please register with the Government here. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food.

If you’re not sure whether your medical condition makes you extremely vulnerable, register anyway. This service is free. You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else.

St Mary’s Church - If you are in need of support or company – a visit (where possible), a telephone call, help with shopping etc. St. Mary’s would like you to get in contact. You can do this in a variety of ways via the Church Office. The Office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am – 2pm but the messages will be checked daily.

Email: [email protected], Tel: 020 8423 4014 (answerphone: leave your contact details)

Harrow Central Mosque – Harrow Mosque is providing a free food and essentials transport service to elderly and vulnerable people in Harrow who require assistance with medical collection or other essentials –

Call or SMS: 07874869484 E-mail: [email protected]

Keeping Safe

Following the Prime Minister’s statement on Monday, the additional powers announced by the government will make it an offence for non-essential premises to remain open, and for people to gather in groups.

The Met Police have reported the vast majority of people are being positive and are complying with the restrictions, however should it become necessary, they will be able to issue penalty notices (PND) to those aged 18+ only, starting at £60 (reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days) or £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence.

Transport for London have reported that every day this week, passenger numbers on the tube overall have declined. Travel is now 93% down on the same time last year. Despite this, on a very small number of trains, on a handful of lines, some carriages can still be busy - especially between the time of 05:45 and 07:30.

As you may have seen, TfL has put placards up at around 30 of London’s stations that remain (in relative terms) the busiest, including Harrow & Wealdstone. They state:

Coronavirus: Stay home, save lives

Do not enter this station or travel unless you are a critical worker.

If you are making an absolutely essential journey, please avoid:05:45 to 07:30 and 16:00 to 17:30 if you can.

TFL believe the occupations of a number of station users are leading to demand that is still relatively high compared to stations elsewhere – such as a high concentration of self-employed and public sector workers as well as a high volume of construction workers using TfL services from some stations.

On Friday (27/03), early-morning Tube use was down another 7 per cent on yesterday and buses by 5 per cent across the city. But the Mayor is absolutely clear that more Londoners need to do the right thing and stay at home. Nearly 30% of tube staff are off sick or self-isolating so it is not possible to run more public transport services. 

Harrow Council has a webpage covering their own response, this is regularly being updated and is available here .

This week, the council has announced a temporary relaxation in Controlled Parking Zones for residents living in the CPZs and carers on home visits. The Covid-19 Self-employment Income Support Scheme allows businesses to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended. Read more. All eligible businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure sectors have been informed they will not have to pay business rates for 12 months from 1 April 2020.

Some 6,400 households in Harrow will benefit from a £150 discount to reduce their Council Tax. The funding is given to everyone who gets Council Tax Support and is of working age. Find out more. Harrow Leisure Centre, Bannister Sports Centre, and Hatch End Swimming Pool and Harrow Recycling Centre have all closed until further notice.

Council Leader Graham Henson released the below statement outlining the need for Harrow residents to follow the rules put in place by the Prime Minister earlier this week.

Northwick Park Hospital has now put the below restrictions in place 👇

Visitors will now only be considered in exceptional circumstances, including:

- for a patient at end of life

- one regular carer for a patient with additional needs, such as a patient

- with dementia

- one parent/guardian for a child

- one birth partner

Please speak to the nurse or midwife in charge of the ward or unit to consider any exceptional arrangements.

Any visitors who are allowed must:

- not come to the hospital if you are feeling unwell, including cold or flu symptoms

- wash or gel your hands as soon as you enter a ward or unit

- follow the additional measures that will be requested by our staff if you are visiting a patient with an infection.

The full announcement can be found here

Can you provide support?

#CoffeeVsCovid - buy an NHS worker a coffee – Last week, a group of friends began raising money to fund small acts of kindness in support of London's NHS staff. They asked nurses, doctors and NHS trusts what the public could do to help, and they replied by asking for coffee and snacks to help keep morale high. We might not be in a position to buy ventilators, but we can each send a cup of coffee.

Donate what you can, support is being given to Northwick Park staff and all the money raised will be shared proportionately across London's major hospitals at the end of each week in support of existing staff welfare provisions. 

VCS – Feeding Harrow

An emergency collaboration of voluntary groups has formed in response to Covid-19, Feeding Harrow will provide meals and food for people in isolation across Harrow. The drop off point is Kind Café @ The Bridge, Monday to Friday, 10:30AM-4PM

Harrow Foodbank

Due to the number of volunteers over 70 or self isolating along with the increase in demand Harrow Foodbank needs additional volunteers. They are looking for volunteers.

If you are available please sign up here

Donations of hand sanitiser needed 

A number of our local organisations who work directly with clients; providing home care or transport are not able to find hand sanitiser.

If you have any spare to donate to a local cause please contact us and we will distribute it to local organisations. [email protected]

My Yard are requesting mobile phones / electronic devices / food

During this time My Yard is managing to source groceries and meals for many vulnerable people. They have an amazing team of volunteers and have been supported by City Harvest, who have donated food as well as Marks and Spencer’s.

However, the group would like to reach out and ask if anyone could spare any old iPads or phones for children to use and, if possible, sponsor a sim and data to go with this. Children are really struggling in overcrowded situations and little social contact.

Specific items are in shortage for young and old and many are without gas or electricity so if you want to sponsor some food, donate or if you have an old electronic spare, they could help someone unable to be in communication with others. Please get in touch:

 http://www.myyard.org.uk/   

[email protected]  

07939 917800

NHS Volunteer Responders

NHS Volunteer Responders has been set up to support the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. To do this the NHS is calling on an 'army' of volunteers who can support the 1.5m people in England who are at most risk from the virus to stay well. Our doctors, nurses and other professionals will be able to refer people in to NHS Volunteer Responders and be confident that they have been matched with a reliable, named volunteer. Sign up here.

Help from me 

I appreciate that whilst this outbreak of Covid-19 is currently dominating a lot of our thoughts, other concerns and problems do not disappear. However, to help reduce the spread of infection, I am asking members of the public who need to contact my office to do so by phone or email rather than in person and further, I will now be holding surgery appointments exclusively by telephone and Zoom video conferencing. This is a temporary measure and a sensible precaution to protect vulnerable people. Please be assured we continue to offer a full service of advice and support to members of the public who need it.

As always, my office can be contacted on [email protected] or by telephone on 0207 219 4243 (Monday-Friday).

Stay at home and save lives.

Best wishes,

Gareth