Public Health – Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Guidance and Advice

From Tuesday 5 January 2021, the Island will go into lockdown. We all need to play our part to keep the Island safe.Guidance National lockdown: Stay at HomeView up to date COVID-19 information and guidance for the Isle of Wight, on the Keep the Island Safe website

Full guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) provided by GOV.UK

Full guidance on Coronavirus (COVID-19) provided by NHS.UK

Council Service Changes – Lockdown restrictions from 5 January 2021

The government has announced a new national lockdown restriction. This means that some of our council services will be making changes to how they are being delivered and when they will be open.

Please visit our online AZ services directory and select the service you need. The AZ service information will provide you with details of any temporary changes and service closures.

Isle of Wight Council telephone support helpline for vulnerable Islanders

The Council telephone support helpline is available to support our most vulnerable residents affected by coronavirus self-isolation measures.

Call 01983 823 600 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 3pm for support. You can also email contact.centre@iow.gov.uk.

If you call when the helpline is closed, the WightCare out of hours service will advise you how to get the support you need.

This helpline is for anyone who needs help because of self-isolation, who is alone with no local network of friends, family or neighbours and needs support, who feels vulnerable and may need assistance with:

help to access pharmacy delivery services and health care needs.
Access to online shopping services
Signposting for assistance with dog walking
Signposting to partner agencies for support with issues arising from isolation including welfare, finance, mental health, childcare issues, crisis advice and support or other caring responsibilities.

Isle of Wight Council and voluntary networks have worked together to provide this helpline to ensure those that need assistance are supported during the coronavirus pandemic.

Guidance for Islanders who are clinically extremely vulnerable

View our guidance for Islanders who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable.

#HandsFaceSpace

There are three simple actions we must all do to keep on protecting each other.

Wash hands. Keep washing your hands regularly.
Cover face. Wear a face covering in enclosed spaces.
Make space. Stay at least 2 metres apart or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.

Getting tested for coronavirus

The Isle of Wight coronavirus testing centre is at Newclose Cricket Ground, Blackwater Rd, Newport PO30 3BE.

If you have any of the symptoms below, please self-isolate and book a test.

High temperature,
a new, persistent cough,
a loss of taste and smell.

You can book a test online at www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.

Please book a test and do not just turn up!

Please do not travel to the mainland if you are offered a test there. Request another test or get a postal test.

Self-isolation

Be prepared for self-isolation.

Self-isolation is when you must stay at home because you have or might have COVID-19 (coronavirus).

It is different from lockdown because you can’t leave your home except to go out to your garden.

View the latest guidance on our Keep the Island Safe website: self isolation

‘Out and About’ Cards

Working as part of the Age Friendly Island partnership we have developed a set of ‘out and about cards’ to help people move towards the ‘new normal’. To discover more about these cards please visit our guidance for vulnerable people web page.

Community COVID-19 information for the Isle of Wight

The Keep the Island Safe website is a community resource with links to local hubs, food and essentials, pharmacy information, mental health, benefits and money and much more.

Information for Island businesses

Visit our Keeping Island businesses covid secure web pages.

Cross Solent Travel Advice

Please see latest information from:

Outbreak Management

View our Local Outbreak Control Plan.

Read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Visitors

If you’re visiting the Isle of Wight please read our visitor guidance, our guidance provides practical information on what to know before you go, respect and protect the Isle of Wight.

Statement and Guidance to ensure safe care home visiting

View the latest guidance on care home visiting.

Privacy Notice, COVID-19

The Isle of Wight Council is committed to keeping your personal information safe and processing it in accordance with our obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation. Please view our Privacy notice for COVID-19 response activity.

Government schemes:

Applying for free extra data for mobile devices – https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/about-increasing-mobile-data?fbclid=IwAR3wB71uqHeukv4RVe-xnIByYsGIj2ZSnPmXuUNfzYUvMyMQgbSFaMSrpy8

Requesting 4G routers – https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/how-to-request-4g-wireless-routers

Laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children – Get laptops and tablets for children who cannot attend school due to coronavirus (COVID-19) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Also, the Family Fund is a national grant funding body to which families with an ill or disabled child can apply for help with essentials – Family Fund

BBC Make a Difference ‘Give a Laptop’ project – BBC – Give a laptop – The project brings together several different organisations who re-condition tablets and laptops and give them to digitally poor households. Some distribute via schools, the largest of which seems to be Business to Schools and Schools need to register on the Business To Schools Initiative: Pages (business2schools.com) in order to be able to request laptops for pupils. So far, only Christ The King and Cowes EC are registered for the IW.

Optio Voluntary Car Service

Optio Voluntary Car Service is a membership scheme for the elderly and frail which operates with volunteer drivers using their own vehicles to take passengers to pre-booked destinations. These are often for medical appointments, but can also be for other reasons.

Optio Membership

Membership of Optio is for elderly or frail people who have transport difficulties accessing medical and social appointments.

Hundreds of people across the Island rely on volunteer drivers to help them get out and about and do everyday things that most of us take for granted. A simple trip to the doctor’s surgery or an important appointment at the hospital can be complicated, if not impossible, for some people without the support of a volunteer driver.

Optio aims to provide a reliable and affordable voluntary car service. We ask that requests for trips be made two days in advance as we are neither an emergency service nor a taxi service. Annual memberships are valid from September until the following September. Prices for 2018/19 are £35 for single membership and £50 for a couple. If you would like to know more about joining Optio please contact us.

Membership Registration Form – For Printing

Volunteer Drivers

If you are a car owner, have a few hours to spare each week and like to help and meet new people, you could make a valuable contribution to your community.

Most trips are done during working hours on weekdays occasionally we may ask if a driver is available on a weekend. Our volunteer drivers tell us when they are available and the scheme co-ordinator matches up the travel requests from members to the drivers available. Drivers collect passengers from their home, taking them to their appointment and returning them back home.

Driver’s expenses are reimbursed at an agreed rate, this is calculated on mileage.

If you feel that you are able to offer your services and would like further information, please get in touch with us.

Driver Information Leaflet

optiomail@actioniw.org.uk

01983 522 226