Day 16 of Lockdown – “There’s a Lot Going On” Edition

Day 16 of Lockdown

Day 16 of Lockdown and there’s definitely a lot going on.   We have updates from the ECC, CBC, Essex Police and more.  Let’s get started:

Residents urged to heed advice and stay at home as weather is set to improve

With the weather expected to turn increasingly Spring-like over the weekend, residents are being reminded to follow advice to stay at home, protect lives and help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

As temperatures warm up over the coming days, and with Easter fast-approaching, people are asked to continue observing rules around social distancing when venturing outdoors and visiting public spaces.

This always means only going out once a day for some fresh air and exercise, or for essentials such as shopping or medicines, and adhering to Government advice to stay local, use open spaces near to home where possible and not to congregate.

Although the council has now closed all its playgrounds, outdoor gyms and car parks serving its parks and countryside sites, the parks themselves remain open. When visiting parks, residents should abide by the Government’s social distancing guidelines and remain at least two metres apart from others. Gatherings of more than two people will be asked to disperse.

For more on Colchester’s countryside parks visit www.colchester.gov.uk/parks.

Recycling is Back – Sort Of

CBC have announced the following temporary changes to recycling & rubbish collections.  The collection day remains the same, and the following will be collected starting from week commencing 13th April:

13th April
11th May
8th June
Food waste.
Paper, card and plastic (max total of 6 clear bags).
20th April
18th May
15th June
Food waste.
Household rubbish a maximum of:

  • 4 x 60 litre black bags OR
  • 1 x black wheelie bin + 1 x 60 litre black bag.
27th April
25th May
22nd June
Food waste.
4th May
1st June
29th June
Food waste
1 x green box of cans
1 x green box of glass
Household rubbish a maximum of:

  • 4 x 60 litre black bags OR
  • 1 x black wheelie bin + 1 x 60 litre black bag.
  • West Bergholt collections will remain on Fridays, even on Bank Holidays.
  • Garden waste and textile collections remain suspended.
  • Please place your recycling and rubbish on your property boundary by 7 am each Friday ensuring bags are securely tied and bin lids are shut.

Self-Isolating?

If you are self-isolating either as a precaution or because you have COVID-19, please follow these four simple steps to reduce the spread of the virus:

  1. Place all personal waste, such as used tissue and disposable cleaning cloths, securely in a plastic bag or bin liner.
  2. Place this plastic bag inside another plastic bag and tie securely.
  3. Store these bags separately to other waste for at least 72 hours.
  4. After 72 hours, this double-bagged rubbish can be put in your general rubbish as normal.

Thanks to CSH

Our thanks go to Colchester Skip Hire who have stepped in admirably over the past two weeks!

Every Family MattersEvery Family Matters

Being a parent or carer can be hard at the best of times, but given the current situation, you’re probably feeling more overwhelmed than usual and might be unsure of how best to support your child. However, “Every Family Matters” are here to help.

They’ve been working with partners to make sure you have the information you need, so that you can make the right decisions for you and your family. They’ll be sharing information here across a range of subjects, including social distancing and keeping your child safe online.

To follow their weekly updates you just need to click the link.  This week they start with how you can best support your child’s mental health and wellbeing.

eBooks & eAudios

Essex Libraries have seen the volume of eAudio & eBook use via their BorrowBox online service increase by a staggering 22% over just 2 weeks.

Essex Libraries CardEssex Library service has worked hard to ensure its online services are as open as possible. New users of the library service are no longer required to register at a library in person, instead access to e-books, e-audio and e-newspapers has now been granted to those who have joined the service online.

In response to demand, a selection of e-audio books has been added to Essex Libraries eMagazine and eComic range. The number of e-comics available has also been increased from 238 to over 1,500, all with unlimited access.  Ancestry and Find My Past has been made available for customers to use from home and the valuable research tools Times Digital Archive and British Library 19th century Newspapers are now available to library members who have just joined the service online.

At a time when many parents are trying to keep young children happy in their homes, our online rhyme time service is now proving immensely popular.

To join Essex Libraries online services go to https://libraries.essex.gov.uk/.

Essex Police Update

 

 

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