Council strengthens COVID support for communities over festive break
In response to the rapidly emerging developments with the Omicron strain of COVID-19, here at East Ayrshire Council we are prioritising services and resources to protect and support our local communities and to reduce pressure on local health and care services.
Chief Executive, Eddie Fraser explains: “Recent developments with Omicron and forecasts of impact in forthcoming weeks are very concerning but this is not a new situation for us. Over the last 20 months, through the flexibility and dedication of our workforce, we have had to adapt our services constantly to cope with the fast-changing scenarios presented by the pandemic.
“We know that this latest round of COVID-19 restrictions will present many challenges for our communities. The extended isolation requirements in particular may cause problems and hardship for some who haven’t experienced this previously.
“Once again we are prioritising our services to ensure that there is support and assistance available for those who most need it. Community larders and foodbanks will be replenished and open for business for several days during the festive period. And we will have officers responding to additional requests for support including assistance with finance, wellbeing, shopping and prescription collections during the break. Please visit our website for full details of all the support available.
“Restrictions are being reintroduced into retail and hospitality settings and whilst they might be viewed as an inconvenience, we know that they do help to reduce the spread of the virus. We all have a part to play in suppressing this virus - our officers will be monitoring compliance in these settings and you too can continue to make a difference by following the Scottish Government guidelines.
“As we experienced previously, our own workforce is not immune from the challenges of COVID-19 and the recent changes to the 10 day self-isolation guidelines are already starting to have an impact on staffing levels in some services.
“There will be occasions in the days and weeks ahead when we have to reduce or stand down a service temporarily, but we will be doing all we can to minimise disruption to make sure our most important services can keep running at a reasonable level. We thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.
“For local service updates and for information relating to support and financial assistance available, please visit our website.
“If you can devote some time to assist with the roll-out of booster vaccination programme, please visit https://www.careers.nhs.scot/covid-vaccinator-recruitment/ for more information on how to volunteer.”