Thursday 26th November 2020
Residents Bulletin
Due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are providing regular email updates to let you know about the latest information we have on local and national measures to contain the virus, any changes to local services and support that’s available.
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Further information is available from www.rotherham.gov.uk/coronavirus
Rotherham to enter tier 3 restrictions from 2nd December
The Government has announced todaythat Rotherham and the rest of South Yorkshire will enter Tier 3: Very High Alert restrictions from 2nd December, following the end of the current national lockdown.
Tier 3 is the highest level of restrictions. In addition to a set of standard nationwide rules, the following applies in Tier 3 areas:
- Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality must remain closed except for delivery, drive-through and takeaway
- Hotels and other accommodation providers must close (except for specific exemptions, such as people staying for work purposes, where people are attending a funeral, or where they cannot return home)
- Indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, theatres and bowling allies must close
- Spectators will not be permitted to attend elite sport fixtures
- Organised outdoor sport can resume, but the Government advises against higher risk contact sports
The tiered restrictions in each area will be reviewed every fortnight by the Government.
However, the lifting of the national lockdown measures does mean that non-essential retail, gyms, and personal care (hairdressers, beauticians, etc) can reopen provided they are covid compliant.
Covid compliant communal worship, weddings and outdoor sports can also resume (note the exemption listed above) and the rule of 6 will now apply once again for meeting people in public outdoor spaces such as parks.
Click on the picture above to see Cllr Read’s response to today’s Tier 3 announcement
Council Leader urges: “Keep doing the right thing”
The Leader of Rotherham Council has urged the people of the borough “keep doing the right things, keep following those rules and we will come through this together.”
Thanks to the hard work and co-operation of the majority of local people, the infection rate in Rotherham has been falling in recent weeks. However, the number of people in hospital being treated for Covid-19 remains worryingly high.
Speaking in a video message to local residents, Councillor Read said: “Sadly, despite all the progress that we have all made over the last few weeks where the infection rate has fallen and continues to fall, it is still too high. We are still, sadly, in a situation where Rotherham Hospital has more than 140 COVID in-patients – that’s still about twice as many as they had at the peak of the first wave.
“I know that for a lot of people today’s news will not be what they wanted to hear. For a lot of businesses this is serious news and I would urge any business affected to check the grant funding available on the Council’s website.
“The Council will be looking over the coming days what we can do to support small and micro enterprises. We will be talking to the Government to see if we can access more financial support to cover businesses over this period, because it is clear that without adding to their initial £30 million for South Yorkshire our businesses will be further disadvantaged.
“Over December and the festive period, we will also be looking at how we can support families whose incomes has been particularly badly affected.”
View the full message here.
Reduce the Risk in Rotherham
Financial support for ‘supply chain’ businesses
Applications are now open for a fund of up to £6 million to support businesses in South Yorkshire which supply companies forced to close by the national lockdown, or affected by tier two and three restrictions.
Previous funding has been focussed on businesses directly impacted by the restrictions.
This latest round of grant support is targeted at businesses that rely largely on the hospitality, accommodation, leisure and entertainment sectors for business-to-business trade, and which have therefore suffered a significant loss income due to COVID restrictions.
Payments under the Supply Chain Support Scheme will be based on the rateable value of the business, or rental value for those businesses not registered for business rates.
The funding available for these one-off grants is strictly limited, and businesses must submit their application via the Rotherham Council website (see ‘Supply Chain’ section) by Thursday 17 December 2020.
Businesses will need to supply detailed information and evidence to show how their business has been affected.
Details of all the grant support available for businesses is available at www.rotherham.gov.uk/covid-business-grants
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Local test and trace service launches in Rotherham
A new local test and trace team is working alongside the national service to offer support to residents in Rotherham.
The Council-run team will contact people who have received a positive COVID-19 test result but who the national NHS Test and Trace service hasn’t been able to contact within the first 24 hours.
The local test and trace team will send a text message in the first instance to let people know they are about to receive a phone call and that it is genuine. The call will be made from a local number 01709 807319.
When people are contacted by the Rotherham local test and trace team, they will be asked where they’ve been recently and who they’ve been in close contact with.
Further information on the Council website
Government announces ‘Christmas bubble’ plan
A limited amount of houshold mixing will be allowed between 23rd and 27th December, the Government has announced.
Between 23 and 27 December:
- you can form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of people from no more than three households
- you can only be in one Christmas bubble for the full period
- you cannot change your Christmas bubble
- you can travel between tiers and other parts of the UK to meet other households in your Christmas bubble
- you can only meet your Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces
- you can continue to meet people who are not in your Christmas bubble outside your home according to the rules in the tier where you are staying
- you cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or Christmas bubble
You should travel to meet those in your Christmas bubble and return home between the 23 and 27 December. Anyone travelling to or from Northern Ireland may travel on the 22 and 28 December.
People who are clinically extremely vulnerable can form a Christmas bubble but are advised to exercise greater caution in the Government guidance.
Full details about the Christmas arrangements are available on the Government’s website.
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