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Covid-19 Local News Meetings

NHW social distance meetings – any chance ??

At the moment, we are experiencing reasonable days of good weather. With that in mind, and the ability to be able to socially isolate at a 2 metre distance, I have been asked if outdoor meetings could be held with present rules in place.

From my own interpretation, in normal life from Wednesday, you can meet strangers in a local park or garden centre for unlimited exercise purposes, but only a single family member.

Do you then choose mum or dad to see, especially if they have been self isolating? Dilemma?

So, how would that work for NHW group meetings? In short, I don’t know!

Mostly not family members – that counts as a group meeting that could possibly be done by social media methods…… if those people attending are tech savvy and on the internet.

Many of the local groups are populated by elder members of the community, and social media is not for them.

“Can we meet in my back garden, with all attendees keeping 2 metres apart?” – A meeting at someone’s house would be frowned on as a public meeting, but what difference is there if you all go out “exercising” and “accidentally” meet up in a local park venue, still keeping a 2 metre distance ?

It now sounds like you are able to stop somewhere, rather than be on the constant move for exercise – e.g. beach sunbathing is now considered as ok, but with self isolation at 2 metres, so could a NHW meeting be held on a beach ? – better pick a warm day !! Weird interpretations !

The government are now concentrating on how to get economic wheels back in motion, so our NHW meetings are WAY down on their agendas.

That’s ok, as locally, we should be able to slowly pass on information around a street / avenue / cul de sac – flats and communal area housing could be more of a problem.

My personal advice – not governed by legislation is – keep in touch, but stay safe – phone calls, texts, messaging, if you have the technology, go out to gate entrances , keeping distances safe, and talk to each other, it may be a bit of a shout, but at least you are in touch!

Keep watching for any strange activities, and ensure that isolated people living on their own have some form of connection with neighbours and have back up from relatives, even if only by a phone call.

Can you contact a relative of an isolated person if needed to give update health or illness information?

Are you sure that these people do not need a befriending service, to make a call each day as a safety back up. NHW can be a vital help for this locally. A small amount fof funding has been made avaialble to allow this service to be ative in the near future – please e mail or phone me for details.

Do you use a link messaging system to save money on bills ? – 1 phones 2, 2 then phones 3, 3 to 4, etc.

Can you clever techy people set up a small round robin chat on Messenger or Zoom for your area ? – help those without technology by passing on chat messages by voice, so if you are capable of talking to your neighbour on each side if you have gardens, then you are doubling every person acting as a Co-ordinator being able to help two families, or lone residents, to stay in touch.

As Vera Lynn and our sovereign have both said – we’ll meet again, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose touch now !