Local Update - Coronavirus
Published: 23 March 2020
Longstanton Parish Council
It is with regret, that Longstanton Parish Council have taken the tough decision to close the Recreation Ground Playground until further notice.
We take our responsibility as your first tier of government very seriously and it is our priority to protect the health and safety of our residents and the wider public.
Cambridgeshire County Council
[This is information taken from a larger press release but tailored to the area]
COVID-19 Coordination hub
Following yesterday’s press conference by the Prime Minister, Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, in response to the MHCLG direction, have already launched a COVID-19 coordination hub to provide targeted support for those most at risk during the Coronavirus outbreak.
The hub will have a specific focus on providing access to food, medicines and other supplies in the first instance. As well as co-ordinate the need to make sure there is adequate staff and resource capacity to serve a significant increased level of demand in critical service areas, such as the NHS and social care.
We're waiting for guidance and instruction from Government in relation to the coordination of food, medicines and other support to the highly vulnerable list, the details of which will be shared with us this week and will draw in all necessary support from our partners, including the military, to support this vital work.
Changes to bus services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Cambridgeshire County Council has been told of the following changes to Stagecoach bus services:
Changes will be made to the following services provided by Stagecoach. For full service changes visit the Stagecoach website:
* Guided Busway - postponing launch of busway service until further notice and service changes
* Cambridge Park & Ride
* Cambridge Service
* 99 Service
* X5 Service
* Bedford Service
* Peterborough Service
* Cambridge City Sightseeing Tour
* Fenstanton Service
Cambridgeshire libraries to close
Following the Prime Minister’s words on Friday (20 March), increasing social distancing by closing many social venues, we are striving to maintain key functions of the library service across Cambridgeshire.
We must do this in a way which minimises the risk of infection to our customers and staff as we face the COVID- 19 pandemic, so from next week we plan to focus on increased digital and online offer, and an appointments based system for all Cambridgeshire County Council libraries.
This means that from today (Monday), our Library buildings will close but the service is working to create an alternative service offer including:
* Appointments to use IT for those who most need it
* A drop off / collection service for item reservations on an appointment basis – with items quarantined for 72 hours between loans
During the closure period, there will be no fines for overdue materials. Loans will also be extended until isolation advice is lifted for everyone.
An online offer will be available to give people access to digital books at home, more information about our online library service can be found here.
Schools and Key workers
Following updated advice from central government, we've contacted schools and early years settings across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to clarify the national position on school closures and key workers.
The message from Government is clear - if it is possible for children to be at home safely, then they should be. Parents should not rely on, or ask for, childcare to be provided by anyone who should be stringently social distancing, such as grandparents or those with underlying health conditions. Schools will be asked to provide optional care for those children who are deemed to be vulnerable. Read more here
Children whose parents are ‘Key Workers’ – those whom the government deem critical to the COVID-19 response - will also be considered if they cannot be cared for at home. This will be the case if one or both parents are classed as key workers, and there is no means by which to keep the child at home, or in single parent families where the parent’s occupation falls within the list.