NWN-18062020

Thursday, June 18, 2020 6

NEWBURY NEWS

Newbury Weekly News

Covid-19 death toll rises by one to 130 Latest figures show number of confirmed cases in district is 384

ANOTHER person from West Berkshire has died with coron- avirus recorded on their death certificate, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. The death occurred in a hospital and takes the current number of recorded coronavirus deaths in the district to 130. The death occurred in the week ending June 5, and includes those registered up to June 13. The ONS data shows that 64 people from West Berkshire have died with coronavirus in care homes, 58 in hospitals, six at home, one death recorded as elsewhere and one in a hospice. The data records the number of deaths involving coronavirus, based on any mention of Covid-19 on the death certificate. The first coronavirus death in the district occurred in hospital and was reported in the week ending March 20, three days before Mayor Elizabeth O’Keeffe went to Mrs Saunders’ Shaw home on Thursday, as she was celebrating with her family. She was accompanied by her nephew, Yuri O’Keeffe, who played Happy Birthday on his violin. Ms O’Keeffe said: “I didn’t want to let something like that pass without recognition, even in these times. “It was an awful wet day. We were going to do a video, but my brother really had to keep the umbrella over the violin. “A lot of her family were there, she came over to the door, we sang Happy Birthday . “She’s an incredible lady – she’s very articulate, and with-it. “The only thing she was cross about was that there was no WHEN I stood for Parliament, it did not cross my mind that six months later I would be supporting my constituents in West Berkshire through the worst pandemic in a century. Twelve weeks since entering lockdown, the urgency of the health situation has given way to a stark economic reality. There is almost no sector of West Berkshire’s economy which has not been directly affected – from hospitality to leisure to tech- nology. Figures published this week showed that 12,700 people are currently supported by the Job Retention Scheme in our area, and 3,800 under the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. While that is an unprecedented package of financial support, it is regrettably true that not all of those jobs will survive. My background as an employ- ment lawyer has enabled me to offer guidance to some constituents. British Airways –

homes, three in hospices, two at home and one in ‘another commu- nal establishment ’. Speaking on the number of cases and the establishing of NHS Test and Trace, head of public healthat West Berkshire Council Matt Pearce said: “We are getting some data through, but the figures are quite low. The numbers are coming through Test and Trace. There have been 15 since it started and contacts are being traced but the numbers are too low and a bit unreliable. “We just need the communityto make sure they act if they do get symptoms.” Mr Pearce said the ambition was to have an outbreak management plan finalised by the end of the month. It will look at how the coun- cil and partners manage local Covid-19 outbreaks for the forsee- able future and what mitigating measures can be put in place to support these areas.

the lockdown began. As the Newbury Weekly News went to press on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in the district stood at 384 . The number of cases in the district has stayed steady, with no increase on the 382 cases recorded between June 6 and June 13. The figure rose to 383 on Sunday, then 384 on Monday. The number of people from neighbouring Basingstoke and Deane who have died with coron- avirus recorded on their death certificate has risen to 111. This is an increase of five regis- tered deaths involving Covid-19 in one week, all five in care homes. The latest information from the Office for National Statistics shows that a total of 75 people from the borough have died with coron- avirus in hospitals, 30 in care Report by JOHN HERRING email john.herring@newburynews.co.uk twitter johnh_nwn

Singing in the rain on Ruth’s birthday THE mayor of Newbury made a personal visit to Ruth Saunders on her 104th birthday last week.

GOT SYMPTOMS? GET TESTED NOW NHS TEST & TRACE

Yuri O’Keeffe and mayor of NeywEbliuzrabeth’KOeeffe congratulate Ruth Saunders on her 104th birthday

Mayor’s Drive this year.” Mrs Saunders was born in 1916. She has lived in the Newbury area for much of her life, and has three sons and many grandchil- dren. Mrs Saunders has relations across Britain, Wales, Spain, France and Canada,among others

– and all made an effort to contact her on her birthday. Mrs Saunders said of the mayor’s visit: “It poured with rain at 1pm, when we didn ’t want it. “Then it got better as the day went on. “I can’t say it was a party, but a very good day – a wonderful day.”

We are facing a stark economic reality By LAURAAFRRIS NEWBURY MP the wider reopening of schools in September.

To stop the spread, do not leave home except to get a test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119

who employ hundreds of people in West Berkshire – have been branded a ‘national disgrace’ by Parliament’s cross-party trans- port select committee in relation to their redundancy exercise. No one doubts the enormous pressure on aviation, but it does not create a licence for companies to use taxpayers’ money (via the furlough scheme) to undertake a long-planned corporate restruc- ture and halve staff pay. It has been powerful to see the cross-party willingness to speak out against sharp practices in the House. There are also emerging issues facing women in the workforce. A report published by the Insti- tute of Fiscal Studies last month found that women were 47 per cent more likely to have permanently lost their job since the start of the crisis and 15 per cent more likely to have been furloughed. With workplaces reopening at a time when most children remain off school, and have access to childcare severely compromised, I think it is imperative that the Government places significant effort in setting up holiday camps and catch-up support for kids over the summer months in advance of

This would help parents manage a partial return to the workplace as the furlough scheme winds down. I would like the Government to build on the success of remote and flexible working established during lockdown and include a provision in the forthcoming Employment Bill to make all jobs flexible by default unless there is a very good reason why not. And it is not all bad news. Last week, the Chancellor announced a “green industrial revolution” focussed on green energy, insulation upgrade and carbon capture that will create in excess of the target two million green jobs set out in our mani- festo. There are also plans for significant investment in technol- ogy. These both play to West Berk- shire’s skills base and economic strengths, and I will fight to ensure that we are leading benefi- ciaries of any such investment. I said in my maiden speech that my work in Parliament would be guided by the livelihoods and aspi- rations of my constituents and that has never been truer.