Officer in charge says systems in place to beat coronavirus in Lincolnshire are in a ’good place’

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin is chairman of the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum, a combination emergency services and local authority experts overseeing the county’s battle against coronavirus.

He said in his latest weekly update: “The overall status for the LRF is currently ‘green’, which means we’re in a good place and responding well to this national emergency at a local level.

“We are very grateful for the support of our local media and we are actively engaging with them to help warn and inform our residents and reaffirm the importance of following lockdown and social distancing measures to help strengthen the resilience of our communities.”

More than 100 people from partner organisations are now supporting the LRF through its command structure, with teams relating to health and social care, mortality planning, local businesses, resources, the efforts of volunteers, collation and use of information and warning and informing residents in a coordinated way.

DCC Harwin said the LRF is working hard to respond to the much-discussed issue of necessary Personal Protective Equipment for key workers and over the last week has established a dedicated team to support these efforts.

He assured residents: “Through the continued work of the team and amongst wider partners, we currently have sufficient PPE stocks across health and care services in Lincolnshire with no immediate concerns regarding the supply or stock levels of our PPE in the county.

“We have also been able to support a range of organisations including providers of social care and GPs with emergency supplies of PPE thanks to stocks provided to us by the government.

“In supporting this important work the LRF has received numerous offers of support with PPE from businesses and communities. This ranges from production and distribution, to storage and delivery solutions. We are really grateful for all of these offers – they are very important to us as we continue to tackle COVID-19 and will be invaluable should our current position change.”

This has included waste company Mid UK recyling of Caythorpe, where the firm’s Technical manager Nigel Counihan has been using their 3D printers to print face masks for NHS frontline workers.

A batch was sent to Skegness Hospital and the medical staff there sent a short TikTok video of them doing a dance routine to say thank you.

To pay for raw material for the production of more visors, there is a crowdfunding link to donate: http://ow.ly/q49O50zhN2n

The NHS manages its own supplies and operates a 24-hour helpline so health and social care workers can report any shortages. DCC Harwin reminded people that it is vital that the guidance for the correct use of PPE is always followed carefully.

Currently three testing sites are operating across the county and these are in Lincoln and Boston. Strategies have been explored to ensure all keyworkers are able to access a testing centre and the county will soon be moving to a single testing site at the Lincolnshire Showground in Lincoln and keyworkers will be tested using a ‘drive-in’ approach, as DCC Harwin said this is the most effective way of testing most people.

Keyworkers will need to book a test online before attending. They will also be looking at providing a mobile service for those unable to travel to Lincoln.

Mr Harin went on: “National and local modelling is constantly being reviewed by the LRF and this considers different scenarios and outcomes depending on how long the lockdown and social distancing measures are maintained.

“Modelling of most scenarios suggests our current mortuary facilities wouldn’t be sufficient, and as part of our emergency plans for a pandemic, precautionary work has been done to ensure we have access to any extra facilities and specialist services.

“Extra capacity has been added to existing facilities at Lincoln County hospital, and we have secured national agreement to use RAF Woodhall Spa as an additional mortuary site, which is being developed. Of course, our aim is to manage any deaths with dignity and respect, while being mindful of personal wishes, religion and belief in all cases.”

He reported there was good news for the county’s businesses following the Government’s extension of its Job Retention Scheme until June. The service in which employers can make a claim to help pay their employees officially went live on April 20. More information is available at www.gov.uk

He said 68 per cent of businesses eligible for a small business grant or a retail hospitality and leisure grant should now have received payment from their local authority. That’s 10,276 businesses and £120m paid out in Lincolnshire over the last two weeks with more work taking place next week.”