Covid update 2 – 17/9/2021
Planning for Winter
The Government published its COVID-19 Response Autumn and Winter Plan this week. The plan focuses on four areas:
- Vaccination – maximising uptake, introducing boosters for over 50s, vulnerable groups and frontline health and care workers, and offering a first dose of the vaccine to 12-15 year olds
- Continuing with Test, Trace and Isolate for people with symptoms and who test positive for COVID-19. Contacts should take a PCR test but need not isolate if they are negative and vaccinated or under 18 and a half. Regular LFD testing is also encouraged to pick up any asymptomatic cases
- Supporting the NHS and Social Care – with investment, mandatory vaccination for care home staff, and promoting flu vaccine uptake in all risk groups. Flu is expected to be at higher levels this year Keeping up with our COVID safe behaviours:
autumn response
If COVID starts to put significant additional pressure on the NHS then ‘Plan B’ will come into operation with further possible measures that may be introduced if needed:
- Advice to ‘behave more cautiously’
- Compulsory face coverings in certain settings
- Vaccine passports for high volume events and settings
- Working from home