Bulletin Thursday 17 December 2020

Bolton to remain under tier 3 restrictions

The government has today announced Bolton will remain under tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.

Don’t invite COVID for Christmas

COVID-19 is an unwelcome guest in our homes this Christmas so stay vigilant and keep it out.

Enjoy the festivities but remember you are at greatest risk of catching COVID from family, friends and close contacts in enclosed spaces so keep following the advice to stay safe.

Christmas bubbles

From December 23-27 you are legally allowed to form a “Christmas bubble” with up to three households – enabling you to meet in private homes and places of worship.

However, the government advice is keep visits short, limit number of people in your bubble, minimise close contact and avoid overnight stays. Parents are also advised not to let children meet with schoolfriends or other young people outside their bubble during the school holiday.  

Things to consider when forming a Christmas bubble: 

• Do you need to meet face to face or could it be virtually instead?
• Can you meet outside instead of inside?
• Keep time spent inside to a minimum and spaces well ventilated
• Avoid meeting vulnerable people, arrange to meet in the new year after they have been vaccinated
• Check on those who are emotionally vulnerable and may be lonely with a phone or video call
• If you have symptoms you must self-isolate
• Limit social mixing – keep your bubbles tight
• Limit time together especially if indoors
• Keep your home clean, especially door handles and encourage handwashing gel
• Communicate well in advance of all this guidance to those in your festive bubble

Safe Christmas shopping tips

• Assume anyone may have COVID so take precautions by using hand sanitiser, wear a face covering and keep social distancing 
• Try shopping at quieter times or do everything in one shop to reduce contacts and the chance of infection
• Don’t touch surfaces and goods unless necessary and, if you do, sanitise your hands

Visiting vulnerable people in care homes

• Before seeing relatives, organise a visit with the care home and book a COVID test via the national portal
• You must receive a negative test within three days before your visit and take rapid LFD test at the care home on the day of your visit
• A maximum of two people can visit if their tests are negative and it must be the same visitors each time

Self-isolation period reduced

On Monday 14 December the self-isolation period was reduced from 14 to 10 days in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

People who test positive should continue to self-isolate for 10 days from onset of symptoms or 10 days from point of taking a positive test if asymptomatic.

“Two-test” approach to allow safe care home visits

Care home residents in Bolton could soon welcome indoor visitors thanks to new guidance to keep them, their relatives and care staff safe from COVID-19.

Indoor care home visits were placed on hold in Greater Manchester while local health leaders sought reassurances over the use of the rapid Lateral Flow Device (LFD) testing.

Bolton Council has now written to all care homes to confirm a new “two-test” process that will allow indoor visits to take place, significantly reducing the risk of vulnerable residents catching the virus.

Couple to receive first Covid-19 vaccine in Bolton community programme

An 80-year-old couple from Bromley Cross are the first people in Bolton to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in the community vaccination programme.

The importance of checking for cancer symptoms

The NHS are reminding people to contact their GP if they spot any symptoms of cancer.

The ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign aims to reassure the public that the NHS is “here to see you safely”. If you have a symptom that could be cancer, you must see a doctor.

Parking update over Christmas and New Year

Please be aware that Deane Road NCP multi-storey car park will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Octagon and Topp Way multi-storey car parks will close on Christmas Day only.

Shoppers can continue to use the free parking available.

This is Bolton’s virtual Winter Festival

It may not be Christmas as normal this year but there’s lots of things to help illuminate the dark nights and add some sparkle across Bolton this December. The team behind the council’s usual Winter Festival have teamed up with partners and businesses across Bolton to create some fantastic, family friendly activities to keep everyone entertained.

Find out more on the Winter Festival website.

CAPITAL&CENTRIC to deliver £50m community in Farnworth

Bolton Council has agreed a deal with social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC – the stars of BBC2 documentary Manctopia – to redevelop the former market precinct in Farnworth town centre.

The plans will see the site transformed into a vibrant, mixed-use community based on the developer’s neighbourhood housing concept. It will include over 200 modern homes centred around a new public square for artisan markets, live events and more.

Laughing gas and knock-off tobacco seized in raids

More illicit tobacco and “laughing gas” have been taken off Bolton’s streets as the council continues to clamp down on these harmful products.

The items were seized in joint shop raids by officers from Bolton Council’s licensing and trading standards teams, and Greater Manchester Police.

Changes to waste collection over Christmas  

Waste and recycling bin collections in Bolton will continue as normal up until Christmas Eve.  As usual, there will be no collections on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

The changes to collections are as follows:

Have your say on tackling climate emergency

Bolton Vision Partnership is asking people to share their suggestions and ideas as part of the Climate Emergency Survey.

The online survey takes a few minutes to complete and will inform the borough’s future strategy for reducing carbon emissions.

Discover unique Christmas gifts at the Bolton Museum shop  

Take a trip to the museum shop this December and shop for unique Christmas gifts.

As a Christmas treat, they are offering 10 per cent discount off any purchase until the end of December as well as free gift wrapping.

Merry Christmas and an ‘appy’ new year to Greater Manchester’s older residents

A Christmas concert is set to be beamed directly to older residents in Greater Manchester thanks to a new app, Greater Moments. The app is helping bring moments that matter to people during the coronavirus pandemic, especially those living with dementia.

The Greater Moments Christmas Concert will be streamed from 20 December at 3pm and feature a professionally produced singalong performance, a school production and messages of recognition and hope from across the Greater Manchester community.

Professional carers, family carers or anybody living with dementia can register for the show here.

Anyone else who’d like to watch the concern can do so by registering for free here.

For the latest updates