I’m writing to you with my latest update on the response to the
Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic in
Harrow. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌


[Covid Update from GT]

Dear
John,

The virus is spreading rapidly across the city again, with Harrow now
in the top five London boroughs for new cases. From midnight tonight,
London will be moving into TIER 2 - ALERT LEVEL HIGH:

📈 All businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a
Covid-secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law, such
as nightclubs and adult entertainment venues

🍺 Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are
required to close between 10pm and 5am. Businesses and venues
selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so
after 10pm as long as this is through a delivery service,
click-and-collect or drive-thru

📚 Schools, universities and places of worship remain open

💒 Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the
number of attendees

💪 Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take
place, provided the Rule of Six is followed

6️⃣ The “Rule of Six
[[link removed]]”
will continue to apply outdoors and in private gardens

🏠 People must not meet with anybody outside their household or
support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public
place

🚴 People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make
where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle
where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on
public transport

Personally, whilst I support the move to Tier 2, it’s clear that we
are at this stage because the Government has not yet created an
effective track and trace system. It’s no coincidence we’re seeing
cases rise and restrictions return at the same time we’re seeing
the worst ever contact tracing rate
[[link removed]]. I
believe there will be more business closures, higher job losses and
greater hardship if further support isn’t announced
urgently. MINISTERS COULD DO MORE TO SUPPORT LONDON BUSINESSES AND
BUSINESSES UNDERGOING TIER 2 LEVEL RESTRICTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
BUT SO FAR THEY SEEM DETERMINED NOT TO.

In the past week, Harrow had 123 cases per100,000 people. 6.1% of
all tested in Harrow are testing positive with the case rate for over
60s. The average area in England had 93 cases. My thoughts continue
to be with the loved ones of those who have sadly died, and with those
who have contracted the virus. I can only begin to imagine the sense
of fear and loss the families must be feeling.  As a community, we
are immensely grateful to all of our NHS staff, social care workers
and all of our key workers. I hope readers continue to stay safe,
socially distance and regularly check in on loved ones.  

The response to Coronavirus is being directed by Government centrally
working with Public Health England, the Government’s advice
is available here
[[link removed]]. Government
assistance specifically for businesses is available here
[[link removed]] .  

As always, if you 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. 

HARROW COUNCIL

[Harrow Council]

The council has a webpage covering their own response to the
coronavirus pandemic, this is regularly being updated and is
available here.  
[[link removed]]

MESSAGE FROM COUNCIL LEADER GRAHAM HENSON FOLLOWING COVID
RESTRICTIONS:

Immediate action required as London moves to High level Covid alert

Cases of covid continue to rise rapidly across London, as well as in
Harrow where they have nearly doubled in the past couple of weeks.
BECAUSE OF THIS LONDON WILL MOVE TO TIER 2 LOCKDOWN TONIGHT.

I understand this is a difficult and worrying time for our
communities, residents and businesses but these new restrictions are
essential to keep Harrow safe. If we are to slow the spread of this
deadly virus we must all take action now.

The move to tier 2 NOW MEANS MORE RESTRICTIONS AROUND SOCIAL
DISTANCING IN LONDON AND HARROW to control the spread and save
lives: 

• WE MUST NOT MEET SOCIALLY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY INDOORS IN ANY
SETTING unless we live with them or have formed a support bubble with
them. This includes private homes, and any other indoor venues such as
pubs and restaurants.

THE NEW RESTRICTIONS COME INTO PLACE FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT (FRIDAY 16
OCTOBER) ACROSS THE WHOLE OF LONDON - however I urge you all to start
following the guidance now.

The following also remain in place:

• Nurseries, schools, colleges and universities will stay open. 

• Work from home, if you can. If you cannot work from home, you
should continue to attend your place of work. Only use public
transport when necessary and walk or cycle where you can.

• Pubs, bars and restaurants continue to close at 10pm and operate
table-service only, except for takeaways.

• Informal childcare arrangements may continue.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE ALL FOLLOW THE HANDS, FACE, SPACE MANTRA:

• Wash your hands, or use hand sanitiser, regularly and for at least
20 seconds

• Cover your face, when using public transport or in busy spaces
like high streets or shops where it may be more difficult to keep your
distance

• Keep a safe distance from anyone not in your household or support
bubble.

If you develop symptoms of the virus, please immediately self-isolate
– people who fail to self-isolate will face a fine of up to
£10,000.

IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THE THREE SYMPTOMS book a free test online 
[[link removed]]or
call 119. 

😷 YOU CAN NOW GET TESTED AT A LOCAL TESTING CENTRE: 🧪

• South Harrow walk-through testing centre at Brigade Close Car
Park, HA2 0LQ (opposite South Harrow Police Station) - open daily 8am
to 8pm. No parking available at this site.

• Edgware testing centre at Watling Community Centre, Orange Hill
Road, HA8 0TR - open daily 8am to 8pm.

• Mobile testing site (cars only) on selected days, 10.30am to
3.30pm at Harrow Civic Centre and Northwick Park Hospital.

TESTS MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE. ONLY BOOK A TEST IF YOU HAVE
SYMPTOMS.

As the Council we stand together with the rest of London in the fight
against Covid-19 - I am working with London Council Leaders, the Mayor
of London and the Government to balance the public health, economic
and social impacts of this virus. London Councils and the Mayor are
asking the Government for economic support for London’s businesses
to ensure they survive this pandemic.

If you are struggling financially or with your well-being, support is
available.
[[link removed]]

NONE OF US WANT TO STOP SEEING OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, but by
following the Public Health rules, helping each other and working
together we can get through this, just as we did during the lockdown
earlier this year. We must all play our part to avoid further
restrictions and KEEP HARROW SAFE.

PLEASE STAY SAFE AND TAKE ALL NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO DO
SO.

GRAHAM HENSON, LEADER OF HARROW COUNCIL

[Keep Harrow Safe]

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR OF LONDON:

[Mayor of London statement]

Working with the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, I am joining many London-wide MPs
and council leaders to apply pressure on the Prime Minister for a
COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The asks include:

Businesses in retail, hospitality, leisure and cultural now require an
urgent package of direct financial aid that can guarantee their
survival until the restrictions come to an end.   

We need to see a much bigger and more expansive job protection scheme.
The re-launched furlough scheme should be 80 per cent of wages as it
was originally, and applied nationally, not just for businesses
legally forced to close in tier 3.  

We need more support for self employed people reliant on sectors
such as our creative industries. As part of the Chancellor’s
announcement, the Government will cover only 20 per cent of average
monthly trading profits. 

The Test and Trace Support Payment (TTSP) must be enough to support
Londoners to follow public health advice and keep their community safe
and should be more widely available. We remain concerned about Low
Income Londoners who are not eligible for support either from this
payment or Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). 

Local authorities should have increased resource to provide
discretionary support and the weekly Statutory Sick Pay rate should be
increased to the equivalent of the London Living Wage. The lower
earnings threshold should also be removed to ensure that low-paid
workers who are ineligible for benefits have the support they need to
self-isolate.   

 

SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Harrow Council, Harrow CCG, and Young Harrow Foundation have put
together a joint document
[[link removed]] signposting
residents to a collection of some of the most helpful and trusted
sources of information and guidance for children and young people’s
wellbeing.

For young people (high school and college age), the
document ‘looking after ourselves’ can be found here
[[link removed]] – covering
how to stay healthy, stay connected and learn new skills during this
time.

SUPPORT AND ONLINE RESOURCES FOR THE FAMILY

Harrow Council have collected a range of online resources
[[link removed]]
 for all members of the family to keep entertained while libraries
are closed. You will be able to find resource to help with homework,
eBooks, newspapers and magazines and keeping yourself healthy and
motivated.

Counselling services and mental health support

·       Relate Family Mediation 
[[link removed]] - a
service fully geared up to supporting families through the crisis.
Tel: 0300 0032324 or email [email protected].

·       DAWN [[link removed]]  - provide
a counselling service to the local community of Harrow and its
neighbouring boroughs. Tel: 020 8427 6796 or
email: [email protected]

·       Need To Talk [[link removed]]  - offering
1 to 1 counselling supporting their clients or any client by telephone
or webcam. Tel: call/ text on 07427548559 or
email [email protected]

·       Ignite Trust 
[[link removed]]  - During these challenging
and uncertain times, Ignite Trust is working hard to ensure they
continue to provide support to the boroughs most vulnerable and
at-risk young people. Email [email protected].

·        [[link removed]] Every
Mind Matters [[link removed]] - Expert
advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health
and wellbeing.

CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE

The council continues to operate a hotline telephone number during
weekends in order to provide support to those in need of assistance in
Harrow - if you are in need of support due to Covid please give the
hotline a call - 0208 901 2698

[Tier 2]

PARLIAMENT

[Speaking for Labour on International Trade]

EMERGENCY SCHOOL FUNDING DURING COVID

 

Last week, in a Westminster Hall debate, I called on the Government
for an urgent funding settlement for primary and secondary schools in
Harrow.

_Research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational
Research set out the scale of educational and financial challenges
facing schools, based on interviews with almost 3,000 school leaders
and teachers across more than 2,200 primary and secondary schools in
England. _

_The report notes the difficulties in teaching remotely, with more
than __ONE QUARTER OF PUPILS __having limited or no access to IT at
home—a particular challenge for schools serving the most deprived
areas. Across the ​piece, almost 50% of teachers believed that
their pupils needed intensive catch-up help, with the figure being
even higher in the most deprived schools and in areas serving the
highest proportion of pupils from black, Asian and minority ethnic
backgrounds, such as schools in Harrow West. The report notes the need
for additional IT equipment. _

_The NFER suggests that some primary schools could need up to an
estimated __£280,000 A YEAR,__ and that an average secondary school
could need up to an estimated __£720,600 IN ORDER TO OPERATE IN LINE
WITH THE GOVERNMENT’S REQUIREMENTS.__ _

_Referencing an “__EXCELLENT HIGH SCHOOL” __in Harrow, the Harrow
West MP explained the school was now burdened by “£175,000 in
extra costs due to COVID”, listing “extra cleaning, extra teaching
cover, longer hours needed for support staff, additional essential
supplies, such as personal protective equipment and sanitiser, and
significant digital investment” leading to the increase. Similarly,
for primary schools in Harrow, Gareth referenced “over £60,000”
in costs just for the summer term, in additional costs for “staffing
to cover lessons where teachers or teaching assistants were shielding,
and for site staff and office staff overtime to prepare for the
reopening of the school.”......_

READ MORE HERE
[[link removed]]

 

CALLING FOR EXTENSION OF HOLIDAY HUNGER
SCHEME 

Earlier this week, I urged the Prime Minister
[[link removed]]  and
the Secretary of State for Education
[[link removed]] to follow the
Welsh Government in extending the holiday hunger scheme through the
Half Term and Christmas holidays. Despite a surge in UK families
applying for free school meals
[[link removed]],
[[link removed]]
the Prime Minister and Sec of State both fell short of a commitment to
an extension of the scheme. Over the past twenty four hours, the
impressive footballer and campaigner, Marcus Rashford (who forced the
Government’s u-turn earlier this year) has already garnered over
100,000 signatures on his petition for ending child food poverty.
[[link removed]]  In the coming weeks and months, I
will continue to raise the moral issue of holiday hunger with
Government Ministers on behalf of my constituents. But I hope this
petition will be the push that’s needed to support the parents of
literally millions of children this Half Term and Christmas.

KEIR STARMER CALLS FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER LOCKDOWN

[Circuit breaker]

Earlier this week, you will have heard Leader of the Opposition, Sir
Keir Starmer calling for a “circuit breaker lockdown”. According
to scientific advisers to the government, thousands of deaths could be
prevented up to January with a circuit breaker.

A modelling paper 
[[link removed]]written
by Professor Graham Medley and colleagues sets out that deaths could
possibly reduce for the rest of the year from about 19,900 to 12,100.
Hospital admissions could be reduced from 132,400 to 66,500. A limited
lockdown, with schools and shops open but hospitality venues closed,
could potentially cut deaths to about 15,600, they said. This is why
Labour is calling the Government to set out how they plan to regain
control of the virus, and it is clear that must include a national
circuit-breaker in England to drive down transmission and protect our
NHS. 

A circuit-breaker is in line with evidence from SAGE and is a
temporary set of clear and effective restrictions designed to bring
down the R rate. It would last two-three weeks across England, and
happen imminently to be timed to run across half-term to minimise
disruption. Schools would otherwise be kept open. 

The economic ramifications of any lockdown are significant and so
Labour is also calling for a combination of wage support and reforms
to the safety net that ensures no-one is pushed into poverty for
keeping not only themselves but everybody safe. This means fixing the
gaps in support for the self-employed and the government must urgently
stop clawing back the £1.3bn underspend from existing programmes and
make this available to local authorities to support our businesses.

SAGE papers from September make clear that further measures were
urgently required but the Government didn’t heed this advice. The
urgent need for action can no longer be ignored - we know that the
quicker these interventions are put in place, the quicker they can be
eased and the devastating impact on both the economy and the number of
lives lost due to Covid-19 can be minimised. This is why Labour is
recommending this happens to include the October school half-term, so
that we act in time to slow infections and ease the burden on the NHS
in time for Christmas.

CAN YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT?

[LCK]

London's Community Kitchen (based at The Bridge, next to Harrow
Leisure Centre) is putting Harrow on the map. At the height of the
pandemic, this incredible operation served over 10,000 people across
Harrow and London and they are continuing to serve over 4,000 people
per week. The Community Kitchen is working with Harrow Council and
many other community groups to coordinate a Harrow wide response to
the Coronavirus outbreak. Please consider donating or getting involved
in any way that you
can: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

If you’re ever in need of their support, the Community Kitchen want
to help - they wont ask you for any details, or anything in return,
just turn up and they will provide you with food. If you would like to
get involved with the Community Kitchen - register
here: [link removed]
[[link removed] ]  
[[link removed] ]and if you
can donate anything, they will make a little go a very long
way: [link removed]
[[link removed]]

FINDING SUPPORT

Do you have a medical condition that makes you vulnerable? Please
register.

A reminder, if you think you fall into a category that makes you
vulnerable to coronavirus – register with the Government here
[[link removed]]. For example,
you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential
supplies like food. The council has just started to receive this
information and is working with local organisations to provide support
to those who apply.

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.
[[link removed]]

HELP FROM ME

[GT Zoom Surgeries]

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 continue to
hold 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 SAFE

Best wishes,

GARETH

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[link removed]