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Good afternoon and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 84. As of today, we have a total of 1,192,013 positive cases of COVID-19 with 49,044 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 13,096 confirmed cases in Surrey and sadly 846 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 516 active cases in Waverley. Locally the number appears to be stabilising - but globally we have now seen over 5 million COVID-19 cases. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

Breaking news from Germany as this morning the drug company Pfizer has announced that their COVID-19 vaccine has proven 90% effective in immunising against the virus. This is the good news we have been waiting for and even better the UK will get 10 million doses of it by the end of the year.

Keeping up to date As the first weekend of this month-long ‘lockdown’ has come to an end it looks like the vast majority of people followed the new regulations by staying at home, wearing a mask and following social distancing whenever outside. Because many people have questions about the new rules so (which you can see here ([link removed]) ) I thought I would answer some of the most frequent questions below:

What businesses and venues are permitted to stay open? All essential retail stores, such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, hardware stores, building merchants and off-licences, are allowed to stay open. Shops that have to close can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services. Local independent stores are really struggling right now, so if you can shop at local stores please do.

What childcare can we access? There are lots of childcare options parents can access during this next few weeks. Early years settings and childminders remain open, and parents can continue to use these settings, nannies will also be able to continue working in people’s homes. You can also create a childcare bubble with one other household for informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under. More here ([link removed]) .

Why can schools stay open? Senior clinicians still advise that school is the best place for children to be, and so they should continue to go to school. Schools have implemented a range of protective measures to make them safe. I know locally that schools are making huge efforts to be ‘COVID-19’ secure - but because children can catch and spread infections it is extremely important to stop social mixing outside your support bubble.

What is a support bubble? A support bubble ([link removed]) is a close support network between a household with only one adult or a household with one adult and one or more people who were under the age of 18 on 12 June 2020 in the home (known as a single-adult household) and one other household of any size. Once you’re in a support bubble, you can think of yourself as being in a single household with people from the other household. It means you can have close contact with that household as if they were members of your household.

The key number to remember for anyone with pandemic-related difficulties remains 0300 200 1008 the Surrey Helpline run by Surrey County Council (Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm).

WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER

Free school meals A much welcomed announcement from the government over the weekend to resolve this issue was rather obscured by the US election result. It means that Surrey County Council will be receiving over £2 million to fund the holiday activities and food programme to support children, families and the most vulnerable over the next 12 months with food and childcare in the school holidays. You can find out more about the scheme here ([link removed]) , but this news should be welcomed as a proper long term solution to this very serious issue and was welcomed by Marcus Rashford. ([link removed])

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY

Remembrance Sunday this year was like no other and surprisingly moving for those able to attend the slimmed-down service. I was at the Farnham War Memorial ([link removed]) where Revd David Uffindell conducted a lovely service in which present worries were put into context by the terrible sacrifices of previous generations. It would usually be full to the rafters with residents coming out to pay their respects. If you missed it you can re-watch the services at Farnham ([link removed]) and Godalming ([link removed]) here.

Getting the flu jab Getting the flu jab has never been more critical as the team at Lloyds Pharmacy in Haslemere told me on Friday ([link removed]) . In winter the number of people with flu/COVID like symptoms will go up from 100,000 to 360,000 at any one time so keeping flu levels low will be vital in the battle against COVID. Find out if you are eligible and where to get the jab here ([link removed]) .

See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here ([link removed]) .

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

Real living wage Over 250,000 people who work for an employer who has voluntarily signed up to the ‘real living wage ([link removed]) ’ are set for a pay boost of 20p to £9.50 an hour. With people’s incomes being squeezed this increase will help people right across the country and here locally, with businesses such as Cook, Network Rail and many banks having signed up. Local businesses can seek ‘real living wage’ accreditation ([link removed]) here.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

The US Election… I imagine lots of you (like me) are pleased to have been able to finally ‘turn off’ CNN now that it looks obvious that Jo Biden has won the US presidential election. Whatever you thought of President Trump, it must be good news to have an America that will re-engage with the World Health Organisation and sign up to the Paris Climate Accord. Those of us that believe in open societies will need to stand together this century and we need a leader of the free world who will help build that alliance.

And finally, I bring news of Monkeys in Finland ([link removed]) who prefer traffic noises over nature sounds. I’m sure that there is a joke in their somewhere… best ones on the back of postcard please (or just reply to this).

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Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.

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