What are essentials we should be buying?
I’VE just gone online to obtain some advice on what are considered to be the essential items to buy when urgent food supplies are running low.
I am a pensioner and my wife and I are now running low on the basics, as a consequence of being a good citizen and following advice by not indulging in panic buying!
I am fortunate enough to now have someone who is willing to risk a necessary shopping trip on our behalf. However when I look for advice on line as to what items are considered to be essential for us to buy, I get general common sense advice, which, yes, is OK, but it seems to focus on what not to do and does not give any positive, specific advice on what we should actually buy.
The general advice is realistic, but in practical terms, what is actually needed is a positive, definitive list of, say, 100 or so basic essential items, which could be used as a downloadable reference check list for emergency shopping. This would also assist supermarkets and shops to prioritise their stocks accordingly.
It would also assist our hardpressed police to scrutinise a list of shopping, which could be carried by anybody stopped on suspicion of making an unnecessary journey.
Yes, negative advice is necessary, but this must also be supported by a positive alternative. Give us a list, so that we know what’s best to buy! R.M. Greaves, Stockport
NatWest gives virus advice
MANCHESTER is experiencing one of the most challenging periods in its history. As a bank where many of our colleagues are neighbours, friends and even family to your readers and our customers, we want to make sure that we are doing all we can to help our communities and make banking as straightforward and as supportive as possible during these difficult times.
We are monitoring the impact of coronavirus across Manchester to ensure we can support everyone appropriately through this period of disruption.
To help the public cope with these challenges, NatWest customers over 70 and those in isolation can now access a new dedicated support line. This has been set up so we can help those most in need and is open from 8am until 8pm, seven days a week. Those who need it can call NatWest on 0800 051 4176.
To help NHS staff at this time, we have introduced an emergency customer care line for NHS and critical workers to help with emergency banking support such as lending assistance and lost and stolen cards. This line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be contacted on 0800 046 2418.
We understand the challenges and the circumstances those affected by coronavirus might face and we want to be there to make sure they don’t fall into financial difficulty as a result. As such we want any customers who are affected to get in contact to allow us to understand their individual situation and to see what we can do to help them.
Our branch network remains open but following relevant public health guidance, we have reviewed our opening hours and we’re prioritising core opening hours from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 1pm. Our colleagues in branches are working incredibly hard in difficult circumstances and we’re encouraging customers not to visit their branch unless it’s critical and if they do, practice safe social distancing.
This same guidance has forced us to make the difficult decision to pause our mobile fleet with immediate effect. But customers can continue to access their banking services through our other channels including digital, mobile, ATMs, video banker, telephony and Post Office and we are proactively keeping customers aware of any changes that affect their local service through our website.
Local businesses lie at the heart of our community and many readers face the responsibility of looking after their company as well as their colleagues. To assist we have set aside a support fund of £5bn of working capital support. We’re able to offer emergency fee free loans and overdrafts to relieve some of the pressure and through our consultants and relationship managers help offer advice and facilitate the support channels being offered by the government and the Bank of England.
I want to reassure you that the bank is doing all it can to help customers, your readers and communities across Manchester.
We will constantly review all the actions we are taking to make sure they are having the right impact. Richard Topliss, Chairman of the North Regional Board
Greta must be delighted
WITH many flights being grounded and the number of cars off the road pollution must be falling.
Surley this must have brought a smile to the face of the world’s most serious teenager... Greta Thunberg? P. Roberts, Bolton