COVID community update – 9 September 2021
Dear volunteer coordinators and Parish Councillors
There are a couple of updates this week that aren’t directly linked to COVID support, but we thought you may find the information useful as you are so well-connected to your communities. After the two brief COVID updates below, you’ll see some information about how people can support Afghan refugees if they wish to, as well as information about flood prevention work the County Council is undertaking.
COVID vaccination update
The government has published information resources on COVID-19 vaccination for eligible children and young people to reflect new information for at-risk children and young people aged 12 to 15 years.
Changes to self-isolation
You are probably aware that from 16 August the rules around self-isolation changed, so that people who are double jabbed or aged under 18 are no longer legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case. Instead, people will now be advised to take a PCR test (which can be ordered for free online or by calling 119). These people are still advised to consider other precautions such as wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces, and limiting contact with other people, especially with anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable. You can see attached a poster from Cambridgeshire County Council to help communicate these changes.
Afghan refugees: donations
Many South Cambridgeshire residents have been deeply moved by the events in Afghanistan and want to donate and help Afghan refugees relocating to the UK through the Government’s Afghan Locally Employed Support (LES) scheme. The Council has made three homes available for Afghan families relocating to the UK. These homes will be fully furnished and up to three months’ worth of food and essential supplies are provided to help the families start new lives. Our latest update can be found here, announcing our partnership with Cambridge City Council to provide wraparound support for the Afghan families.
At this time, we are unable to accept donations directly, but anyone who would like to donate their time, goods, or money can do so through the following national and local organisations:
- Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group
- Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum
- Distribute Aid
- British Red Cross
County Council flood prevention survey
As part of the County Council’s Community Flood Action Programme, ‘Riparian’ guidance is to be updated to make it more useful for those who have a watercourse on their land. As part of this work, they want to better understand what residents and landowners currently understand about responsibilities of maintaining watercourses (ditches, streams etc.) on private land. A short survey (5 questions) has been published, and we are helping to promote this to residents. If you would be willing to share our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram posts within your communities, that would be helpful. Alternatively, you can access or share the survey using this direct link. The deadline to respond is 30 September. You can find out more about Riparian ownership on the County Council’s website.
We will send a further community update when there is useful information to share.
Thank you again for all your support.
Best wishes
Bill Handley
Lead Cabinet Member for Community Resilience, Health and Wellbeing
South Cambridgeshire District Council
