News

Playgrounds have been one of the last things to open, because the risk of transmission of the virus is likely to be higher in these areas, given the extent of shared contact.

The government has advised that playgrounds can reopen from 4^th July, but only if it is safe to do so.

The government has set out guidance for managing playgrounds and the Parish Council must assess the practical application of these guidelines as some of these are considerably challenging. The Parish Council has a duty of care not only to the public but to our staff.

The decision to delay the opening until 17^th July also took into consideration the Parish Council’s wish to protect the school bubbles and their staff. Our local education and childcare facilities have worked hard to create a safe environment for our children. The bubbles do not share outdoor equipment and large play equipment has been closed.  Therefore, it was deemed sensible that we should follow their example and reopen the playground for the summer holidays.

To reopen the playground, it will not be possible for Elsenham Parish Council to provide the following elements of the government guidelines. The Parish Council’s insurance company must also agree to our approach.

• Provision of Stewards
• Arrange a booking system
• Clean equipment daily
• Provide cleaning equipment
• Create entrance and exit, as we only have one gate.

Elsenham Parish Council will carry out the following to reopen the playground

• Carry out Risk Assessments including COVID-19 risks
• Carry out safety checks
• Arrange cleaning and repairs where necessary
• Produce signage which will include the following.

Elsenham Playground COVID-19 Signage:

• No entry to the playground if you, or any member of your household, has any symptoms of Covid-19.
• Please respect social distancing measures at all times.
• Only one child on an item of play equipment at any time, unless from the same household.
• Only one swing from a pair to be used at any time, unless from the same household
• Users are advised to clean equipment before use..
• All users are advised to wash or sanitise their hands before and after using equipment..
• Consumption of food and drink is not permitted in the play area.

Elsenham in lockdown

If you or someone you know is vulnerable and has been a victim of fraud, please call Essex Police on 101.

Report fraud or attempted fraud by contacting Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

NHS TRACK AND TRACE
With the development of Track and Trace, many people have been asking for advice around how this works.

Please find below the official advice from the GOV.UK website on how the system works and advice on how to avoid being the victim of any possible scams as a result of the implementation of this system.

When we contact you
If the NHS test and trace service contacts you, the service will use text messages, email or phone.

All texts or emails will ask you to sign into the NHS test and trace contact-tracing website.

If NHS test and trace calls you by phone, the service will be using a single phone number: 0300 013 5000.

All information you provide to the NHS test and trace service is held in strict confidence and will only be kept and used in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

Contact tracers will:
• call you from 0300 013 5000
• send you text messages from ‘NHS’
• ask for your full name and date of birth to confirm your identity, and postcode to offer support while self-isolating
• ask if you are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms
• provide advice on what you must do as you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus
Contact tracers will never:
• ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to us (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
• ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product of any kind
• ask for any details about your bank account
• ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
• ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone
• disclose any of your personal or medical information to your contacts
• provide medical advice on the treatment of any potential coronavirus symptoms
• ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
• ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS
For the full guidance/information please check the GOV.UK website – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-test-and-trace-how-it-works

Remember our advice
If in doubt use the A, B, C of scam awareness:
A- Never Assume a caller, email or text is genuine.
B- Never Believe a caller, email or text is genuine.
C- Always Confirm by contacting a trusted number, family member, friend, your bank’s fraud department or the police to check if it’s genuine.

‘Tell2, protect many’ is a communication initiative that empowers you to spread crime prevention messages to others in your life, who otherwise may never know.
Start with ‘tell2’ and ask them to do the same. It starts with YOU!

As a result of the pandemic, parents, carers and young people are facing a range of issues. That’s why the Essex Welfare Service (EWS) is now supporting families experiencing difficulties. We can provide you with support on issues such as:

• managing family relationships

• parenting

• managing change

• coping with anxiety

• separation and loss

We have a team of friendly family advisors ready to take your call on 0300 303 9988 or you can visit Getting Help in Essex.

If you or someone you know is vulnerable and has been a victim of fraud, please call Essex Police on 101.

Report fraud or attempted fraud by contacting Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

TV LICENSING EMAILS

This month, Action Fraud have received over 260 reports of COVID-19 TV scam phishing emails.

The emails purporting to be from TV Licensing claim that the recipient’s direct debit has failed and that they need to pay to avoid prosecution. Recipients are told that they are eligible for a “COVID19 Personalized Offer” of six months free. The messages contain links to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

HMRC EMAILS

CIFAS (the UK’s leading fraud prevention organisation) are warning of a new HMRC scam. This scam appears to be specifically targeting people who are out of work or working less due to coronavirus, and is offering £1,000s in grants.

The recipient is told to click on a link to check their eligibility, and answer questions that are designed to steal personal information.

CIFAS are stating that this scam comes from the email address “HMRC@hotmail.com”, but as new frauds spring up every day, this could change.

Whenever you get an email you didn’t expect, remember to Take Five:

– Stop

Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

– Challenge

Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

– Protect

Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

Finally, here’s where you can get the latest information on coronavirus-related scams and how to protect yourself: http://actionfraud.police.uk/covid19

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You may have seen the recent news that we’re preparing for a phased re-opening of libraries. We’re looking forward to welcoming you back, but safety of visitors and staff is paramount.

All libraries will be prepared, and risk assessed before they re-open to allow customers and staff to maintain social distancing and stay safe. Once open, regular cleaning measures will be in place.

From Monday 6 July we will open 16 libraries, those which are co-located with Registration Offices. The libraries will initially offer a reduced service; customers will be able to return and borrow books only. Other services will be reviewed frequently so that they can be offered again as soon as it is safe to do so.

In line with Government guidance, visitor numbers will be limited to allow customers and staff to maintain social distancing and stay safe.

Further libraries will re-open as they are made safe and ready; with as many as possible opening by mid-August 2020. Since libraries were closed in March, we have seen a huge increase in demand for our online library resources and the number of people joining online to access these. We encourage people to continue to use these digital reading resources where possible. We’ll update you with further information on our plans and available services as they develop and will soon be updating our website with FAQs to answer any queries.

M11 Works – Elsenham
Highways England is undertaking surveys on the Alsa Wood / Elsenham footbridge. These surveys are required to maintain the safe operation of the strategic road network along the M11.

Pedestrian Restrictions
The footbridge over the M11 to the west of Elsenham will be closed between 9am and 5pm on Friday 29 May.

However, the footbridge will still be available to cross under the escort of on-site operatives, but you may experience a short delay until the site is made safe before a crossing can be made.

Please note that these works are subject to weather conditions and dates may change, notices onsite will provide the most up to date information.

Safety
Your safety is important to us, as is the safety of our operatives working on site. We would be grateful if you could observe signs and restrictions in place as any unauthorised access to the site creates a serious risk to safety of everyone involved.

Our roads remain open and we will continue to maintain the network, ensuring that life-saving medicine, equipment, supplies and healthcare staff can travel to where they are needed most.

All our sites have strict safeguarding measures to prevent the spread of COVID19 and none of our sites are open to the public.

How you can contact us
If you have any queries about our work, or want to know more, please contact us on 0300 123 5000 or via email at info@highwaysengland.co.uk

Criminals are contacting elderly victims claiming to be from the bank, then within a very short time frame they attend the victims home purporting to be a courier to collect the victims bank card and to replace with a new card.

They leave the victim with an envelope containing what feels like a bank card but transpires to be a gift card. The offenders then leave to withdraw victims money.

We have had a number of reports of men acting as the courier, often wearing a hi visibility jacket – although this may not always be the case. A large number of these offences that are occurring across Essex, from Epping to Tendring to Leigh on Sea, and even spreading into bordering counties.

We are asking all residents to be aware and to ensure that this message is passed on to friends and family members, or those who are in self-isolation. If we can follow the idea of ‘Tell2’ – if you tell two people, who then tell two people etc, we can reach enormous numbers of people. An unbroken chain of 26 ‘Tell2’ would reach 67 million people! Please spread this message to protect our elderly and vulnerable people. It starts with you!

There is support available for those who cannot leave their homes.

This factsheet gives details of services and local businesses that are offering support to those who are self-isolating or who are housebound as a result of illness, disability or age.

Services are rapidly changing or evolving due to the developing situation; those that reply on volunteers may not be operating as usual, others may be temporary or expand over time to offer additional support.
Please notify us of any errors or omissions on info@uttl esfordfron tli ne.org.uk

21st March 2020

DOWNLOAD FACTSHEET

Due to the COVID-19 crisis the April edition of Elsenham News is not being printed and delivered. 

We will be producing PDF versions for April, May and June but we will be back to the usual yellow-covered mag, coming through your door as soon as we possibly can.

Thank you, The Editors

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