Briefing from Northumberland County Council Chief Executive Daljit Lally

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY COUNCIL’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S BRIEFING – COVID-19 UPDATE – ALL STAFF

 

Dated: 23 March 2020 – further update following PM’s announcement tonight

 

Dear colleagues

This Chief Executive’s briefing is extremely important and one which I must ask you all to read, act and implement without delay.

The Prime Minister and his team have made several announcements since Friday night, and these include the closure of cafes, pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants (who may continue to provide take out services), as well as the closure of theatres, cinemas, gyms and leisure centres. And tonight, he announced that a huge national effort was needed in order to slow the spread of the Coronavirus disease.

The Prime Minister announced that he is issuing a simple instruction in that everyone must stay at home in order to stop the disease spreading between households.

You are only to leave your home for the following “very limited” purposes:

• To shop for essential shopping as infrequently as possible

• One form of exercise per day alone or with household members

• Any medical needs or to provide care for a vulnerable person

• Travelling to and from work but only when absolutely necessary and when you cannot work from home

Additionally:

• All shops selling non-essential items are to be closed

• Police will have power to enforce “stay at home” compliance

• You must not arrange to meet your friends or family members

• You must not go shopping for anything other than essentials and use food delivery services where you can

• All weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies but excluding funerals

• All gatherings of more than two people in public are not permitted.

• Libraries, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship will be closed with immediate effect.

If the above is not followed, the police will have the powers to issue fines and disperse gatherings

The Prime Minister urged us all at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.  We ALL MUST follow this advice.

I must therefore ask you:

• To only attend work if you are categorised as an essential key worker and your manager has confirmed that this is the case

• YOU MUST STAY AT HOME if you are not categorised as an essential key worker, you have an underlying health condition or you have been asked to do so by the NHS.

If you attend work as an essential key worker you MUST adhere to the social distancing measures and advice issued by Public Health England AT ALL TIMES, including remaining up to 2 metres apart. You can find the PHE Social Distancing Guidance here PHE Social Distancing Guidance 

YOU MUST CONSIDER ALL OF THIS EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND FOR ANY STAFF THAT YOU MANAGE.

I have attached some further supporting information for you to support this which is useful.

I appreciate that this is a very difficult time for you all as individuals, for your families and also for the Council as a whole, but I must urge you to please take this matter seriously and help us to continue as a great and safe #TeamNorthumberland.

Thank you all for your continued support

Daljit Lally
Chief Executive