COVID Help for Residents on All Things COVID, Updated for 2021 Lockdown

Posted on: 16th January 2021

This email is the one to use if you have questions or concerns about businesses not operating safely or those things pandemic related that you want to get facts not opinions

COVID help for residents on all things COVID, updated for 2021 Lockdown are on Cornwall Councils website: All things COVID you need to know

If you suspect second home owners are staying nearby or people are up the road in their campervan or next door is having a party (so individual people breaking the COVID Lockdown rules) the POLICE have set up an easy central reporting system they are asking the public to use: Reporting People Breaching COVID restrictions

If you live in the St Just Parish and have more general crime/ nuisance concerns then these can be reported direct to our local Policing team here

Cornish children to be given free school meals during half term

Cornwall Council will provide free school meals over the February half term after the Department for Education told schools yesterday (14th January) they would not be providing funding. The council will use money from the COVID Winter Grant Scheme to feed over 15,000 young people, who are currently accessing the scheme in Cornwall.

Schools will be provided with funding of up to £15 per eligible child to support their local families. If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, make sure their school knows!

For more information on the scheme or to register for free school meals please visit: https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-colleges/school-meals/

Parking charges suspended in all Council car parks during lockdown

Cornwall Council will suspend parking charges in all of its car parks from Saturday (January 16 2021) until the end of the current national lockdown, as part of efforts to further limit the spread of coronavirus and to support residents.

The move will mean that some civil enforcement officers and back room staff, due to a reduced service, can be redeployed to support the Council’s Covid-19 response, as well as help residents who rely on on-street parking at home, or live in resident only parking zone areas.

New outreach programme to offer combined mental health support and practical advice to most vulnerable communities in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

A new project has been launched in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to provide both mental health support and practical advice on money, jobs and housing to the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Funded by Cornwall Council, it will see experts from Citizens Advice Cornwall and the Pentreath mental health charity join forces to provide an outreach service. Named Mhend (Mental Health Employment Needs and Debt advice), it will initially run as a 12-month pilot set up to respond to people’s immediate needs.

The project is designed to reach those residents who are likely to have been most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. These include people on low incomes accessing high risk loans, private renters, BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) families, farming and fishing communities, and those with health conditions and disabilities.

Local surveys show that job insecurity and other concerns related to the pandemic have led to a probable two-fold increased risk of suffering from anxiety and depression (Source: Healthwatch 2020). It is also thought that many people suffering with mental health issues – often for the first time in their lives – are not accessing the help and support they need.

The Mhend programme will see three teams of two advisors spread across Cornwall with support offered in several ways from face-to-face (when restrictions allow) or telephone consultations to video calls and web chats.

People can be referred to Mhend, or can also refer themselves by contacting Pentreath on 01726 862727 or by completing the referral form available on the Pentreath website at www.pentreath.co.uk

Coronavirus vaccinations

Vaccinations are underway in Cornwall. Priorities groups for vaccination are based on advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) at a national level. People will be contacted when it is their turn to receive the vaccine. They should not contact their GP, local hospital or other local NHS services.

Vaccinations are free. The NHS will never ask for bank details, so people should beware of scam texts that ask them to enter bank details.

The Government has published its UK COVID-19 vaccines delivery plan, which focuses on ensuring supply, establishing prioritisation, expanding where vaccinations can take place, and recruiting and training a vaccination workforce.

Help with food

Another reminder about the help with food that’s available across Cornwall – please share this with anyone in your area who needs help.

Cornwall Council’s interactive Help with Food map shows all emergency food support in towns and villages throughout Cornwall. The map was created in partnership with community organisations and is online on the Let’s Talk Cornwall site.

If you live in the St Just Parish and are struggling, for what ever reasons to buy food, drop me an email or text and I’ll point you in the right direction. Just tell me (briefly) the reason you are struggling, and I’ll get back to you.

Self-isolation support

Support is available for people who test positive for COVID-19 or are asked to self-isolate.

Anyone self-isolating should stay at home for 10 days after a positive test. If you start to feel unwell you should self-isolate straight away and only leave your home to get tested. You should not leave your home to exercise or to walk pets.

Where possible ask family, friends, or neighbours to help with things, such as picking up prescriptions, or food shopping. If you don’t have a network of friends or family to help, Cornwall Council’s self-isolation pack has information about the support that’s available, including the coronavirus hardship grant, help paying your council tax, signposting to other support and how to apply for the self-isolation grant.

The Information about Coronavirus page on Cornwall Council’s website also has a section on financial support, including:

  • Financial support if you’re off work because of coronavirus
  • Help if you’ve lost your job
  • Financial support if you’re self-employed and getting less work or no work

Home Schooling

If you are struggling with this, then do not give yourself a hard time. The younger the children, the more you can build learning into play and fun stuff; for older children help should be on hand through their school or the BBC are running educational programmes for all ages.

Qualified Teacher and Town Councillor Chris Denley, is also offering some help and support and I know he is trying to get hold of laptops and other devices to help every child in our Parish get connected. If you want his help or can offer a device, email him on: denley525@btinternet.com, ring him on 07898 743170 or find him on Facebook for useful links and information.