Council Leader’s latest message reflects on pride in county

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council Leader, Councillor David Simpson, has provided a further coronavirus update for Friday, 30th October, as follows:

‘Hello everyone and welcome to my weekly update.

‘As you read this, we are about to enter the second half of the “firebreak”. I appreciate that having restrictions placed upon us is very difficult and frustrating. However, we have to consider the long game here. It’s not just about today or tomorrow.

‘None of us could have imagined how this year has panned out. We will shortly be entering our eighth month of Covid-19 restrictions. This is hard to believe and I have to regularly take stock of what is happening around us every day.

‘Without a doubt the restrictions are inconvenient but we have to stop this pandemic ruling our lives. The “firebreak” has been put in place to halt the rapid spread of Covid-19, to protect the public and to try to get our lives back to something approaching normal.

‘I have highlighted before of how proud I am to live and work in Pembrokeshire and the way our county and our communities have pulled together. It has been a fantastic effort by everyone.

‘Challenges come in different ways for all of us. Some things that maybe trivial to one person can be a huge issue for someone else, so please respect each other, provide support where you can and offer a listening ear to those who just want to talk.

‘Now that the clocks have gone back, the long dark nights will impact on some. Let’s all try to help each other and reflect on all the good things we have done under difficult times.

‘Everyone’s welfare is key, so please keep an eye out for each other. I know I’ll be making sure my family are safe and neighbours are supported. If everyone does a small bit, the bigger things will take care of themselves. Remember, everyone has a role to play.

‘This weekend is Halloween, a normal time for children to knock doors and scare each other. Due to the circumstances in which we find ourselves, this event – like many others this year – will be different. So I urge you to follow the advice being offered and enjoy the celebrations at home.

‘We have now begun processing applications from local businesses for the new non-repayable grants introduced by Welsh Government in response to the current “firebreak” lockdown.

‘Applications opened on Wednesday (28th October) and will close at 5 pm on Friday, 20th November, or when the fund is fully committed. All businesses are urged to apply as soon as possible.

‘Successful applications will be paid within 30 days of receipt.

‘Within the first 24 hours we received over 1,600 applications so we are politely asking applicants not to contact the Authority to chase progress during this period.

For more information and to make an application go to: www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/business-advice-and-support

‘I also want to convey my appreciation to the Council officers working hard to process the applications.

‘The following coronavirus-related press releases have been issued since my update last Friday:

· Apply For New Covid Grants Businesses Urged:

https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/businesses-urged-to-apply-for-new-covid-19-grants

· Online Resources Available From Libraries:

https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/free-online-resources-from-pembrokshire-libraries

· Schools Re-Opening:

https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/update-on-schools-re-opening-on-2nd-november

· Business Grants Reminder:

https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom/new-business-grant-reminder

‘Once again, thank you for reading my update. Every week I look forward to the time where we can talk about better days. This will come. Be patient, work together and support each other. Others before us have battled through difficult times. We now need to stay positive and keep doing the things that matter to stop Covid-19.

‘In the meantime, stay safe and take care of each other.’

Public Health Wales (PHW) publishes an interactive daily dashboard of data about coronavirus cases across Wales broken down by health board and local authority area, at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

PHW also provides a daily update focusing on key public health information and updates at: https://covid19-phwstatement.nhs.wales/

Information about coronavirus is available here on the Welsh Government’s website: https://gov.wales/coronavirus

Also, please keep an eye on our newsroom at: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/newsroom

For service updates visit: https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/emergency-planning/service-changes

And to get daily email updates, log onto our website and sign into My Account at:

https://myaccount.pembrokeshire.gov.uk

Other useful links:

www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/coronavirus
www.sir-benfro.gov.uk/coronafeirws
https://phw.nhs.wales/
Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru – Coronafeirws Newydd (COVID-19) – Cyngor hunan-ynysu
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance