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Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Last updated: 31 March 2020 at 3.55pm

This page provides you with the latest information on Coronavirus (COVID-19). The government is making regular announcements in response to the ongoing outbreak.

Current situation

The latest announcement from the government is:

You should only leave the house for one of four reasons:

• Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible.
• One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk or cycle - alone or with members of your household.
• Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.
• Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home.

These four reasons are exceptions - even when doing these activities, you should be minimizing time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are two metres apart from anyone outside of your household.

The latest advice and information is available on the webpages, at www.gov.uk/coronavirus

There is a Coronavirus: action plan- A guide to what you can expect across the UK.

Hampshire County Council and health partners continue to keep a close watch on the development of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak – with processes in place to respond if, and when required. For further information, read the most up-to-date information and advice on Hampshire County Council's website.

Symptoms

For information on the symptoms and steps to take, go to www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

Reducing the spread

The focus is on good respiratory and hand hygiene and specifically:

• Wash your hands more often and for at least 20 seconds. Take a look at the NHS hand washing technique.
  
• Use soap and water or a hand sanitiser when you: get home or into work; blow your nose, sneeze or cough; and eat or handle food.
  
• Hand sanitiser should be used only when you don’t have access to soap and water- as soap and water remains the best method to maintain hand hygiene.
  
• Hands should be dried thoroughly after washing.

The government advice for reducing the spread of COVID-19 is as follows:

• Continue to wash your hands more often and for 20 seconds. Make sure you cough or sneeze into a tissue, put it in a bin and wash your hands.
  
• Self-isolate if you develop a high temperature or a new continuous cough, however mild.
  
• You should self-isolate for 7 days if you live alone, or 14 days if you live with other people. If anyone in your household is experiencing one of the above symptoms the whole household should self-isolate for 14 days.
  
• Those who are over 70, with an underlying health condition or are pregnant, are strongly advised to significantly limit face-to-face interaction with friends and family if possible.
  

For the latest advice for travellers returning from affected areas, visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The government has produced specific guidance for employers and businesses on COVID-19 to advise staff about the virus and recommended actions.

Council meetings postponed

All scheduled council meetings have been postponed following government advice on social distancing. That means the following meetings will not go ahead:

• Tuesday 24 March - Development Control Committee due to consider the Manydown outline planning application
  
  
• Thursday 26 March – Council
  
  
• Monday 30 March - Audit and Accounts Committee
  
  
• Wednesday 1 April - Development Control Committee
  

Council Leader Cllr Ken Rhatigan said: “Based on the latest advice on the importance of social distancing, the decision to postpone all scheduled meetings has been taken to protect the safety of councillors, officers and members of the public who would ordinarily wish to attend. I would like to take this opportunity to urge all our residents to listen to the life-saving advice about social distancing. By keeping apart we can best pull together as a community to fight this virus, protect our most vulnerable people and support the vital work of the frontline NHS staff."

Service updates

Updates about our services are shown here and further details can be found using the links below:

Bin collection updates

For the latest bin collection service updates and answers to FAQs visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-bins-and-recycling

Community support

We are working to coordinate community support during the COVID-19 outbreak, including working with Basingstoke Voluntary Action and setting up a dedicated careline for our vulnerable residents.

For more information on the support available for local communities, including the careline we have set up to support vulnerable residents, please visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-community-support

Council tax support

Following the government’s announcement of a new Hardship Fund to help vulnerable residents to pay their council tax, the borough council has now received further guidance on these measures and has implemented some changes.

For more information on the changes, please visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-council-tax

Staying at home during social distancing - noise advice

Everyone is going to be experiencing difficulties and stresses because of the current restrictions on movement, with most people being confined to their homes and where available, gardens, for most of the day for the foreseeable future.

These restrictions are clearly essential to reduce the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect everyone’s health and save lives.

For more information on the changes, please visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-noise

Support for business

On 17 March, the government announced a package of measures to support businesses through the period of disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. You can find out more by visiting www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Following the government’s announcement, the borough council has now received further guidance and will be putting in place its own measures to support eligible businesses.

For more information on the support offered for businesses, please visit www.basingstoke.gov.uk/covid-19-business-guidance

Taxi and private hire drivers
We recognise that the taxi and private hire trades have concerns regarding the possible implications of the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) - please visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/COVID-19-licensed-drivers for more advice and information.

Street traders and food services offering a pick-up service
Food services offering a pick-up service may remain operational if they can comply with the government guidance. It is imperative takeaway services adhere to Public Health guidelines including social distancing for staff and customers with regular and thorough cleansing and hand washing. Traders continuing to operate must ensure workers and customers maintain social distancing rules at all times, and adopt business practices to stop the spread of coronavirus to save lives. Please visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/COVID-19-street-traders for more information.

Events

To find service updates from Hampshire County Council, visit their website www.hants.gov.uk.

Statement from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum

Chief Constable Olivia Pinkey, Chair of the Local Resilience Forum

As part of our regular review of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum (HIOW LRF) has now declared the Coronavirus outbreak a major incident.

We have already been providing a multi-agency response for a number of weeks and the declaration of a major incident simply means we move to the next phase of our well-rehearsed plans.

This ensures all partners, which includes all the emergency services, can use joint working arrangements to effectively manage, and where possible minimise, the impact of the virus on our population during these unprecedented times.

The HIOW LRF comprises the public sector partners in Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.

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