Extra shielding support possible

Vulnerable families may be offered extra support during the latest round of coronavirus restrictions in the North East.

The latest guidelines for the region have not made any reference to the shielding regime implemented during the original lockdown.

But health chiefs for Wearside have moved to reassure concerned households that they are working on new measures to go with the latest guidelines.

“During the last restrictions we had something like 13,000 people in Sunderland who were asked to shield,” said David Chandler, chief finance officer and deputy chief officer at Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

“We’re not asking people to shield this time, but there may be value in offering additional support and advice to people who may be in a position to value that.

“That is actively being worked on in Sunderland and the North East and we hope to have additional support and guidance for people who may fall into that category as soon as possible.”

Chandler was speaking at a meeting of the city council’s Health and Wellbeing Board on Friday , which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

Across the UK, about two million people considered at particularly high risk from COVID-19 were told to ‘shield’ themselves at the height of the outbreak by limiting their interactions outside their home.

Shielding guidelines were rolled back from August as part of efforts to lift the Government-imposed lockdown.

The latest advice issued in response to a surge in coronavirus infections in the North East states the public should not socialise with anyone outside of their household or support bubble.

Today’s meeting heard a charity football match in August had been the ‘catalyst’ for the recent rise of confirmed cases in the region.

Meanwhile, Sunderland City Council has joined other authorities in asking for the Government to rethink the rules around childcare under the new restrictions.

The full details of the regulations for the region stipulated family members and friends would not be permitted to help with childcare, and only professional, registered individuals and agencies could be used.