"Connecting Communities for COVID19 News" 27th Apr 2020
Isolation Tips
Family lockdown tips and ideas to help you get through self-isolation with your kids
Lemon-Aid, a newsletter community of like-minded parents and carers are helping parents get through this period of self-isolation by sending daily emails with tips and tricks on how to keep kids of all ages entertained. Whether you have little ones, teenagers or any age in-between, there is something for everyone. Here are some of the tips and tricks to help you get your family through lockdown:
How to move around the city freely during quarantine
How to move around the city freely during quarantine
Coronavirus has changed the way Muslims are celebrating Ramadan, in virtual spaces and in solitude
"One of the greatest opportunities that's going to be coming out of Ramadan 2020," Ahmed said, "is that we get to celebrate in real time virtually with Muslims all over the world, so we're not just participating and interacting with our family and friends in our local communities."
Dad came up with a great lockdown idea for the kids
Dad came up with a great lockdown idea for the kids - a slide next to the stairs
Tips to remain 'sane and safe' during physical distancing
Maintaining a routine, helping others and taking time to focus on self-care are among the tips one Ball State University professor is sharing to help people stay “sane and safe” while practicing physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jagdish Khubchandani, a health sciences professor, has 15 recommendations to “counterbalance” the physical and psychological effects of social distancing, which involves reducing close contact with others in an effort to help stop the spread of the disease, per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Edinburgh solo adventurer offers tips for surviving self-isolation in Alone Together podcast
In the latest episode of Alone Together - A Coronavirus Podcast, you’ll hear from experts who know just how to do that. Derek Watson, associate professor of cultural management at the University of Sunderland, discusses his research into handwashing, offering practical advice on how to wash and dry your hands properly and thoroughly. He tells Alone Together’s Morven McIntyre that good hygiene practices can stop the spread of the virus and save lives.
The lockdown has also left many people coping on their own. Solo adventurer Jenny Tough, from Edinburgh, chats to Morven about building up your physical and mental resilience in isolation.
How to Live in Isolation – 9 Tips From Astronaut Support Engineer That Spent 520 Days Locked in Mockup Spacecraft
In these times of confinement, ESA astronaut support engineer Romain Charles shares nine tips on how to live in isolation – he spent 520 days locked in a mockup spacecraft and is a true expert on the subject. Mars500 locked six ‘marsonauts’ in a simulated spaceship near Moscow, Russia for 520 days, the time it would take to fly to Mars and back plus 30 days spent exploring its surface. It was the first full-length, high-fidelity simulation of a human mission to our neighboring planet. The crew went into lockdown on June 3, 2010, and they did not open the hatch until 17 months later on November 4, 2011.
“I survived 59 days in isolation – here are my tips for remaining mentally and physically strong in lockdown”
That trip lasted for 59 days. Having nobody to rely on for that time really helped me to find my own strength and to realise just how powerful I am in my own life. It showed me my own physical strength, getting through situations like waves and getting lost in the woods, but also my mental resilience as I was alone when making crucial decisions. These are the lessons I’ve taken from that experience into lockdown, and you should too.
Hygiene Helpers
Coronavirus hygiene beats summer diseases in Bihar
Covid-19 pandemic may have scared people and alerted the authoritirs concerned, but adherence to hygiene standards to keep the virus at bay has led to a sharp drop in other diseases this summer. Doctors and health experts said the number of cases was comparatively low this time. They attribute the drop in non-Covid cases to the closure of industrial units and people eating more healthily
Public health expert wants coronavirus hygiene measures to remain beyond pandemic
"I think this will be a world-changing experience, I think there will be a whole range of things that will be different. "The post-COVID [world] will very much be focused on avoiding or being able to deal with those kind of viral infections in the future in a better way." Professor Slevin said the negative consequences of social distancing did not mean there had not been benefits which needed to be embraced on the "other side" of the pandemic
Croatian Companies to Continue With Hygiene Measures After Lockdown
Employee protection measures will continue to apply after lockdown is over. This, they point out, is in everyone's interest because no one wants a coronavirus epidemic within their company. ''We'll continue to keep up with the hygiene measures of everyone in the company. It would also mean a lot to us if the customs clearance of goods could be returned to the customs offices in the interior of the country, since customs clearance is now done at the border, which creates huge crowds,'' said Simic.''Worker protection measures will remain as they are after lockdown. We'll continue to use protective masks, gloves and disinfectants and keep the required distance between workers. So far, we've not had any cases of coronavirus in the company,'' says Jelcic.
Community Activities
Coronavirus: Cancer surgeon expands red and green card scheme to help vulnerable
Dr Shilen Patel, a head and neck cancer surgeon at a London NHS hospital, has helped 300,000 households get access to support from volunteers while in lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak. The scheme, called Red Green Cards, entails people sticking a red or green card in their window, which signals to their neighbours if they need help or not.
Look for the helpers: A roundup of people doing good things during the pandemic
As we face historic and unprecedented changes to the way we live, one thing remains constant: People are ready and willing to help their neighbors. Here is a roundup of some of those efforts in the Southland.
UK lockdown: Calls to domestic abuse helpline jump by half
Calls to a national domestic abuse helpline rose by 49% and killings doubled weeks after lockdown, a report by MPs has revealed. Following the "surge" in violence, the report called for a government strategy on domestic abuse during the pandemic.
MPs also said "safe spaces", where victims can seek help, should be rolled out to supermarkets and other shops. The Home Office said it was increasing funding to support helplines and online services. Researchers at the Counting Dead Women Project told MPs 14 women and two children had been killed in the first three weeks of lockdown.
Advice and support for people experiencing domestic abuse in isolation
This is a quick-read guide with tips for people who are experiencing domestic abuse while in isolation with a perpetrator. If you are in immediate danger, always call 999. If you are looking for further information or support, call the 24-hr National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247
Coronavirus: Over 1000 families without hygiene basics during Covid-19 outbreak
A small whānau-owned Christchurch roading company has turned their workshop into a distribution centre for hygiene packs to be sent to more than 5000 families across the South Island.
Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration
A virtual celebration of the music of Stephen Sondheim in lockdown
Dubai's Dawoodi Bohra community deliver 5500 meals to workers
Dubai: With the help of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the local Dawoodi Bohra community in Dubai has provided workers with free food parcels in their accommodation in Muhaisnah. These efforts were to help during the current coronavirus pandemic which coincides with the Holy Month of Ramadan, which is traditionally a time of giving. “No-one should go to bed hungry,’ is the underlying principle behind many initiatives of the Dawoodi Bohra Community under the guidance of Dr Syedna Aaliqadar Mufaddal Saifuddin, the 53rd spiritual head of the community worldwide,” read a release from the community on Saturday.
Working Remotely
Tell us: what does your work-from-home setup really look like?
By now, those of us who are working remotely have become used to seeing snippets of our coworkers’ homes. But the conference call “you” might not show the whole picture, as a widely shared tweet from diplomat Ohad Zemet demonstrates.
How to help your employees feel successful while remote working
One of the most important changes in how we define success has to do with interpersonal skills. The loudest person in the room, the one who speaks up the most at the corporate office and who makes the most noise is no longer perceived as successful. Zoom and Skype have leveled the playing field for all of us because talking more than anyone else can get you muted. Dominating a conversation in a video chat now looks far worse than it has before.
A remote working world
As remote working continues to become the norm, this means that businesses have more and more employees working from different cities, and sometimes also different countries – this could result in certain tax implications which need to be looked into.
6 Proven Business Benefits of Remote Work
If you are considering extending telework options into the future, these six proven business benefits of remote work could positively influence your decision and inspire a modern retooling of your current practices:
Virtual Classrooms
A new twist on distance learning?
A new twist on distance learning?
Coronavirus: Life inside virtual classrooms while grappling with Covid-19
Online teaching is very different from school learning so don't place unnecessary pressure on yourselves. Have fun with it. We are getting good engagement from our children and families. It's awesome to receive so many responses from our children. Our digital learning platform enables me to see what all classes are doing and it enables me to stay in the loop. I've been sending out a daily 'principal's comment' video to the children to say hi and keep up contact with them, using my cats, Elmo and Oscar, as guest stars. Children are enjoying these posts and in return I've received lots of pet photos back.
Zilla Parishad-run schools take classes on WhatsApp
Students in the Pune district administrateive region have had WhatsApp deployed as a vehicle to reach and engage with the students. Schools are making the material available on mobile phones. A follow-up of the effectiveness of this by Pune ZP indicates that at leats 6--70% of students in each jurisdication have been accessing the virtual learning available so its positive to date
Indian schools in Doha resume studies in virtual classrooms
Indian schools in Doha are moving ahead with virtual classes putting to rest all anxieties. Virtual classes have been started as all the schools have been closed owing the the coronavirus scare. A total of 40,000 students are involved in a virtual learning process over 18 schools in Doha. The calsses started April 15 and Microsoft teams and Zoom apps are used for the classes. Apart from this, recorded videos of the lessons and online notes are also being given to the students to support the learning process
The Great Zoom-School Experiment
She called a school leadership meeting, via Zoom, and told the staff to switch gears again, and prepare to teach live video classes to the second and third graders. The teachers were hesitant. Lang students tend to be “exceptionally impulsive,” Bracamonte said. Wrangling them can be a challenge under normal conditions. “The teachers were afraid that the kids were not going to coöperate, and they wouldn’t be able to manage a virtual classroom.” But she insisted that they try it.
Public Policies
Why Germany has been so successful in dealing with the coronavirus
Healthy investment in the healthcare system by successive governments, a strong GP network in place taking care of the softer COVID19 cases keeping hospitals freed up for the more severe cases. A huge ramp up in ICU beds for a country the size of Germany very early on so that the capacity to manage a spike in cases was in-built before the cases started flowing. And testing so far of 1.5m Germans which has shone a flashlight on all aspects of the COVID19 outbreak and then there is the broad network of testing labs all over Germany which can turn around the processing of these test really quickly - enabling contract tracing and isolation at some speed to stop the spread
Hong Kong's early, thorough measures against coronavirus praised
"Hong Kong really learned from the past, from SARS and other outbreaks like the avian influenza. The government strengthened much of the health foundation of the city," Keiji Fukuda, formerly the World Health Organization's top flu expert, told Kyodo News in an interview on Wednesday. Hong Kong reacted swiftly after reports of the coronavirus first surfaced in China in December -- installing a strong monitoring system, tracing contacts of the infected, conducting extensive testing and setting up border controls relatively early. "Everyone focuses on border control and social distancing and personal hygiene like masks and hand washing, all of which are important," Fukuda said. "After SARS, Hong Kong looked at the capacity needed to handle patients with infectious diseases and increased that capacity," he added, referring to the 2002-2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The Covid-19 aftermath: Beijing bans 'uncivilised' behaviour to improve public hygiene
Beijing has banned "uncivilised" behaviour such as not covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, the city government said on Sunday (April 26), in a new set of regulations to improve public hygiene amid the Covid-19 (coronavirus) disease outbreak. The laws aim to promote "civilised behaviour" and relate to combating the pandemic which has infected more than 82,000 in China alone. Rulebreakers will be slapped with fines for offences including not wearing a mask in public when ill, the municipal government said on its website.
Reweaving the social fabric after the crisis
The social distancing policies enacted across the world to curb the spread of Covid-19 might have been expected to weaken social networks and damage social capital. In fact, the opposite has happened. People have maintained physical distance while pursuing social togetherness. Existing networks have been strengthened and new ones created, often digitally. Even as other capital has crumbled, the stock of social capital has risen, acting as a countercyclical stabiliser across communities.
Raab rejects calls for early lifting of coronavirus lockdown
The Government is coming under intense pressure from senior Tories to relax the strict social-distancing measures, amid concern at the damage they are doing to the economy. But Mr Raab, who has been standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he recovers from the disease, said the Government would proceed “cautiously” in order to avoid a second peak in the outbreak. “We are at a delicate and dangerous stage,” he told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme.
Germany's Covid-19 expert: 'For many, I'm the evil guy crippling the economy'
Christian Drosten, who directs the Institute of Virology at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, was one of those who identified the Sars virus in 2003. As the head of the German public health institute’s reference lab on coronaviruses, he has become the government’s go-to expert on the related virus causing the current pandemic.
In an exclusive interview, Drosten admits he fears a second deadly wave of the virus. He explains why Angela Merkel has an advantage over other world leaders – and why the “prevention paradox” keeps him awake at night.
Israel's top court says government must legislate COVID-19 phone-tracking
Citing grave dangers to privacy, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the government must bring its use of mobile phone tracking deployed in the battle against the new coronavirus under legislation.
Comic Insults Aside, Mayors Act as Sentinels in Italy’s Coronavirus Tragedy
They have launched insult-armed drones. They have personally confronted scofflaws on the streets. They have mocked women for getting their hair done because no one would see them in their closed caskets. They have asked all their dog-walking citizens if their pets had prostate problems. The R-rated rebukes were part public-service announcement, part performance art, part self-promotion campaign. But the mayors say they also worked. “We needed to send a clear message, with slightly brutal language,” said Vincenzo De Luca, the president of Campania and the former mayor of Salerno, who threatened to use a blowtorch to break up a graduation party. “We brought people back to reality.”
Passengers entering UK 'to be quarantined for two weeks' in new plans to halt coronavirus spread
People entering the UK could be forced into quarantine for two weeks under plans for the "second phase" of the Government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. Officials are said to be working on a plan similar to one being operated in Singapore for passengers arriving at UK sea and airports.
According to The Sunday Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday, it is intended to stop fresh cases arriving from abroad when the Government rolls out its “track and trace” scheme to identify and isolate new infections as the lockdown is relaxed.
Coronavirus crisis: WA to ‘cautiously’ relax COVID-19 restrictions, allow 10-person gatherings
Premier Mark McGowan has announced a relaxation of the two-person limit on outdoor gatherings. From Monday, indoor and outdoor non work gatherings will be relaxed to 10 people, Mr McGowan said. The number of people allowed at weddings has increased to 10, the same as funerals. Home opens and display village openings will be permitted, under strict controls and hygiene practices. The new 10-person rule aligns WA with SA, but all outdoor playgrounds, skate parks and sports equipment will remain closed.
Maintaining Services
Coronavirus: Carer goes into the homes of some of those most at risk from Covid-19
Community support worker Kerry Mannex leaves her bubble every day. The mother of two adult children has been visiting up to 16 elderly and disabled Christchurch clients a day throughout lockdown. What began as a part-time job that fitted in with raising young children has turned into a very full-time career Mannex says. "I just fell into it really, I just have a passion for helping people I think."
Burberry donates more than 100,000 pieces of PPE after transforming Yorkshire trench coat factory
Burberry said it has donated more than 100,000 pieces of PPE in line with its commitments to support relief efforts during the global health emergency. The fashion giant said its Castleford factory in Yorkshire is manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including non-surgical gowns and supplying them to NHS workers who are treating coronavirus patients. It also said it will maintain its base pay for employees who have been unable to work due to closures.
Coronavirus will cause 'lasting changes' to shopping habits, says Unilever boss
The coronavirus pandemic will trigger “lasting changes” in shopping behaviour, according to one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of grocery brands. Unilever’s chief executive, Alan Jope, said the health crisis would accelerate the growth of online food shopping. He also predicted a permanent increase in demand for soap and other cleaning supplies as improved hygiene became a priority for households.
“I think we will be able to look back and see this as a point of inflection for online grocery shopping,” he said. “Good luck getting an appointment for a grocery delivery. I think that will persist and we will adjust our approach to reflect that.”
Aid worth almost PLN 50 million for the fight against coronoavirus arrives from China and is ready to be distributed.
Aid worth almost PLN 50 million for the fight against coronoavirus arrives from China and is ready to be distributed... The work of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity is in full swing and we have made another purchase of 4 COVID-19 testing devices for Warsaw, Łódź and Poznań, along with 40,000 tests. The value of the entire contract is over PLN 10.5 million (https://www.wosp.org.pl/aktualnosci/105-mln-pln-dla-laboratoriow-diagnozujacych-covid-19). Thus, the value of help carried out by WOŚP now totals around PLN 50 million. Thank you for all payments made into the Intervention Fund (https://www.wosp.org.pl/pomagamy/fundusz-interwencyjny), but most of all - thank you to all recipients of medical facilities, hospitals, nursing homes and care and treatment institutions for their brave and devoted help in saving the lives of their patients
Healthcare Innovations
Effectiveness of isolation, testing, contact tracing and physical distancing on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different settings
Isolation of symptomatic cases and tracing of contacts has been used as an early COVID-19 containment measure in many countries, with additional physical distancing measures also introduced as outbreaks have grown. To maintain control of infection while also reducing disruption to populations, there is a need to understand what combination of measures – including novel digital tracing approaches and less intensive physical distancing – may be required to reduce transmission.
Blood-pressure drugs are in the crosshairs of COVID-19 research
Scientists are baffled by how the coronavirus attacks the body - killing many patients while barely affecting others. But some are tantalized by a clue: A disproportionate number of patients hospitalized by COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have high blood pressure. Theories about why the condition makes them more vulnerable – and what patients should do about it – have sparked a fierce debate among scientists over the impact of widely prescribed blood-pressure drugs.
UK coronavirus vaccine to be tested on patients from Thursday
Mr Hancock told the government's daily briefing that the Oxford trial and another at Imperial College London would each get at least another £20m of public money.
The Jenner Institute team at Oxford is starting production before the trial is complete and wants about a million doses ready to be sent out by September.
Coronavirus vaccine might not be ready until 'well into next year'
Professor Gina Radford urged people to be "realistic" about the prospect of developing a vaccine for Covid-19 despite the government "throwing everything" at it. It comes after the UK government announced a coronavirus vaccine taskforce at last Thursday's daily press conference from Downing Street. The professor stressed the difficulty of "having to start from scratch" when developing a vaccine while speaking to Sky News' Sophie Ridge On Sunday show. She said: "We haven't got a hugely good track record with vaccines for this particular virus, coronavirus, the family of viruses. "But having said that everything is being thrown at it, there are researchers all over the world trying to identify a vaccine. "We have never seen anything like the effort that is being put to discover this vaccine."
