CORONAVIRUS: Parents have important role to play in stopping the spread in district's schools, claims key figure

Around half of schools in the Bradford district have so far confirmed one or more cases of coronavirus.

Javed Bashir – safeguarding consultant with Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI) – says parents must help to educate children about the virus, get them used to wearing face coverings and encourage good hygiene practices.

SFI has supported supplementary schools, out-of-school settings and places of worship with coronavirus risk assessments and safeguarding over recent months.

Mr Bashir said: “Along with paper and pencils, parents should be packing bags with hand sanitiser and face masks and teaching children to be responsible for their own safety.

“Educational bodies failed to engage with parents to help them understand their roles and responsibilities in controlling Covid-19 before schools reopened. Children require help understanding how to navigate situations that may pose risks.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, this week said everyone had a responsibility to help halt the increase in infection rates.

“We must redouble our efforts to manage and prevent further exponential spread of coronavirus infections and help avert the damaging impacts it can have on both our health and our economy,” he said.

“I urge everyone to keep apprised of latest local and Government guidelines as and when they are updated and to understand the critical role each of us can play in minimising the costs to our families, friends and wider communities.”

A plea to the public has also been issued by North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum following a surge in infection rates in parts of the county, with South Craven being identified as a hotspot.

Forum chairman Richard Flinton said the county was “at a tipping point”.

“We must not risk everything we have achieved,” he added. “Social distancing and hand washing remain the best defences against Covid – with face coverings where required. We also urge everybody to keep to the rule of six.”

Direct appeal to public of North Yorkshire as cases surge

As covid infection rates continue to rise across North Yorkshire, first responder agencies are making the strongest appeal to the county’s communities to try and prevent more severe intervention measures.

Richard Flinton, chair of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience forum, which includes the emergency services, councils and health, said the county was at a tipping point and it was the responsibility of each and every one of us to play our part and follow distancing guidelines so we can continue going about our lives and supporting the local economy.

The appeal comes on the back of surging infection rates in Craven, particularly South Craven and the Skipton area and also a rise in Richmondshire, where there has been an increase in positive tests linked to the Catterick area. Scarborough and Selby remain on the Government watchlist as areas of concern.

NYLRF includes the emergency services, local authorities and the NHS and is responsible for leading the fight against the pandemic here to protect lives and the NHS, support the economy and keep schools and businesses open. It is issuing this call as part of its strategy to act early to get on top of infection rates here to avoid the enforced interventions being seen in many other northern areas.

As most infection can be linked to household and social contact Richard Flinton called on residents across the age range to pull together. He said: “Rather than wait for Government intervention and the imposition of more serious lockdown measures being faced by people in many parts of the north of England, we are appealing to people to take the necessary precautions now.

“We must not risk everything we have achieved in North Yorkshire by letting our guard down. Social distancing and hand washing remain the best defences against Covid – with face coverings where required. We also urge everybody to keep to the rule of six, inside as well as out.

“We would also like to go a little further than that to protect our schools, businesses and freedoms here – we are not waiting for more areas to go onto a watch list to step up our response. We would ask that you wear a facemask or covering in any areas where social distancing is difficult – even when outside.

“So, if you are in a narrow street or other busy area please cover your face – be part of Team North Yorkshire and help keep our county open. Protect your friends and family and keep our High Streets and hospitality sector safe and open.

“We will all need to work hard together if we are to avoid enforced national interventions, which may prevent us from being with our friends and family.

“It can be done. Rates have come down in Selby and Scarborough which are on the watchlist as areas of concern. That is a great achievement by communities in those districts. Thank you for all your efforts and sacrifice. We have shown we can pull together to beat Covid.”

Paul Shevlin, Chief Executive of Craven District Council, said: “These figures are concerning and I would urge all residents and businesses to do their bit to slow the spread of the virus in the district.

“There are a number of new national measures which have been announced recently – the ‘rule of six’, earlier closing for pubs and restaurants, increased use of face coverings, and the NHS Covid-19 app.

“Fines and enforcement are also increasing so please do take notice of all these regulations. We also need to stick to the simple, straightforward measures of social distancing and good hand hygiene.

“The figures in Craven show there have been 95 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. It is important to note that our population is small, and so any increase in cases may appear to be startling, and the percentage increase/decrease may be large from week to week.

“However, we have seen in other areas of North Yorkshire that they have been able to reduce the number of new cases quickly. If we all work together in Craven we can stop the spread. None of us wants to see a full lockdown again – we all want to see schools and businesses stay open if at all possible.”

Tony Clark, Chief Executive of Richmondshire District Council, said: “Richmondshire District Council has been alerted to the rising cases in Catterick Garrison and Colburn so it is vital that we all do as much as we can to make sure the district remains safe.

“We must all take measures to minimise the spread of the virus – and we urge everyone to follow the national guidelines issued by public health. The District Council’s Environmental Health and Licensing Team is working closely with local businesses and we are asking everyone to work together as we try to avoid returning to the lockdown restrictions we lived through earlier this year.”

The Director of Public Health for North Yorkshire Dr Lincoln Sargeant says vigilance around social distancing, the wearing of masks and hand hygiene could not be more critical.

He stated: “In light of the escalating community infection rates in these areas, and across the region and UK, and the very real threat to some of our residents who are prone to the most severe symptoms if they contract the virus, I am asking everyone to take responsibility. We are seeing infections rise in our care settings and we must all protect those most at risk from the more severe medical impacts of Covid-19.

“We have already suspended care home visiting, which is incredibly hard to bear for care home residents and their families who have only just started to enjoy the freedom of being able to see each other again. We would like to find ways of restoring visits in a Covid-safe way this month and we can all play a part in helping that to happen by getting the infection rate down again.

“So please, alongside the hands, face, space guidance - wear a face covering in crowded places outdoors and avoid crowded areas where social distancing is difficult. Please encourage your friends and family to follow suit. As the virus is transmitting from person to person the fewer social contacts people have the better. By doing this we will help to restrict the progression of Covid and help avoid wider measures which could impact on schools, jobs and local businesses.

“If you have Covid symptoms you must isolate until you can take a test.

“To shops, pubs and restaurants I ask you to keep on top of your Covid-19 security, for example, with hand sanitiser provided at entry to, and within, buildings; strict limitations on the numbers of people inside a building at any one time; and one-way systems – where they are not already in place. Ensure you are rigorous in collecting contacts from customers.

“Event organisers please re-think any indoor or outdoor events that involve more than 30 people; to care settings please continue to ensure that you limit agency staff usage and/or only use the same agency staff and stop any sharing of staff between care homes. We must all play our part now.”

It is crucial that we work together to stem the tide, using our common sense and allowing the police and other emergency services to focus on the issues of greatest risk and criticality as they become more stretched in helping to protect and support our communities.

This latest issue of the newsletter covers some great pieces of recent work including securing further funding for our dedicated Neighbourhood Watch groups, the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) continuing to make progress, the winner of my youth writing competition being announced, and much more. That is in addition to a host of other activity such as running my latest Community Outcomes Meeting in holding the Chief Constable to account, a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel, and a progress visit to the new Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) that was recently opened and is a facility that will go from strength to strength in supporting vulnerable victims.

It was National Police Memorial Day on 27th September, a day to remember all those fallen officers and to remind ourselves of everything they represent. It was a very moving ceremony which could be viewed online which I have had the privilege of attending in past years.

The day was even more poignant following the shocking and extremely sad news of Sgt Matiu Ratana’s death while on duty, my thoughts continue to be with his family, friends and colleagues and the wider police service here in West Yorkshire and throughout the UK.

On a daily basis, our frontline officers and staff find themselves face to face with the dangers and challenges associated with modern day policing.

They do so with one purpose, to keep the people of West Yorkshire safe and feeling safe and are often the last line of defence for the most vulnerable in our society, they deserve our respect, and thanks.

Looking forward, October is Black History Month and Hate Crime Awareness Week starts on 10th October. I will be supporting both initiatives and I would urge everyone to get involved where you can, details will be added to my social media accounts in due course.

Best wishes and stay safe

, such as ‘what should you do if, at school, kids are running around without masks?’

“Getting children to wear a mask may be difficult, but most children can with practice and positive reinforcement. But, particularly with younger children, face shields may be an alternative and may allow for better teacher-student interaction.

“Cleanliness of school facilities is also important: request a copy of your school’s back-to-school plan, which outlines safety protocols, and do not hesitate to ask questions. School administrators should be able to tell you how often bathrooms are cleaned, what the plans are for isolating a sick child and what is being done to ensure children are socially distanced.

“The return to school can trigger anxiety, so parents should help children to identify their worries, and provide child-friendly, fact-based information to address any issues, while ‘coping breaks’ and getting outside can also be great for mental and physical health.”

For more advice on how parents can help children during the pandemic, Javed Bashir can be contacted at javed@sfitogether.org.