Gateshead Council services from 19 July
To protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and residents, we have made significant changes to the way we work and deliver our services over the last 16 months.
Keeping everyone safe remains our first priority, so having carefully considered the latest government guidance alongside local Covid-19 infection rates, we will be continuing with many of our current safety measures beyond 19 July. These include:
- The Civic Centre and some of our other locations will remain closed to the public, unless you have an appointment. Our teams who are currently working from home will continue to do so until at least September, when the return to offices will be managed carefully.
- Although face coverings will no longer be legally required, please continue to wear one when visiting our buildings and keep a safe distance from others.
- The number of people attending weddings and funerals will still be limited to the number of people that can be safely accommodated at the venue.
- You will still need to pre-book swim sessions, fitness classes and gym slots at our leisure centres.
- Leisure centres and will continue to operate limited opening hours.
- Work to remove temporary social distancing measures such widened footways will be carried out during August.
- Our odd and even number plate system will remain in place at our waste and recycling centres.
- Enhanced cleaning arrangements will continue at all of our sites and there will be plenty of hand sanitiser for staff and visitors.
The details of each service's safety measures and operational updates will be available on their webpages.
We will review these arrangements regularly in line with government guidance and public health advice, but for now, thank you for continuing to respect these safety measures and playing your part in keeping others safe and keeping our facilities open.
The rising infection rate we have seen recently has caused a lot of pressure on our services, with many Council staff continuing to support our Covid response in alternative roles and others having to self-isolate. Some sites have also had to close temporarily due to confirmed cases and we expect that this will continue to happen on occasion. Please help us keep things running smoothly by:
- Using our online services wherever you can, as our phone lines are currently very busy
- Respecting our staff, who are working hard to deliver our services in a way that's safe for everyone
- Remaining cautious - if you have coronavirus symptoms, please stay at home and arrange a test
- Being considerate of those around you - remember that many of the people you come into contact with could be either vulnerable or anxious about the legal restrictions being lifted
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself, the people around you and the progress we've made in the fight against Covid is to get both doses of the vaccine, as soon as you can. If you have questions about the vaccine and whether it's right for you, you can find the answers at BeatCovidNE.co.uk.
As ever, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work towards a safe return to normality.
To protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and residents, we have made significant changes to the way we work and deliver our services over the last 16 months.
Keeping everyone safe remains our first priority, so having carefully considered the latest government guidance alongside local Covid-19 infection rates, we will be continuing with many of our current safety measures beyond 19 July. These include:
- The Civic Centre and some of our other locations will remain closed to the public, unless you have an appointment. Our teams who are currently working from home will continue to do so until at least September, when the return to offices will be managed carefully.
- Although face coverings will no longer be legally required, please continue to wear one when visiting our buildings and keep a safe distance from others.
- The number of people attending weddings and funerals will still be limited to the number of people that can be safely accommodated at the venue.
- You will still need to pre-book swim sessions, fitness classes and gym slots at our leisure centres.
- Leisure centres and will continue to operate limited opening hours.
- Work to remove temporary social distancing measures such widened footways will be carried out during August.
- Our odd and even number plate system will remain in place at our waste and recycling centres.
- Enhanced cleaning arrangements will continue at all of our sites and there will be plenty of hand sanitiser for staff and visitors.
The details of each service's safety measures and operational updates will be available on their webpages.
We will review these arrangements regularly in line with government guidance and public health advice, but for now, thank you for continuing to respect these safety measures and playing your part in keeping others safe and keeping our facilities open.
The rising infection rate we have seen recently has caused a lot of pressure on our services, with many Council staff continuing to support our Covid response in alternative roles and others having to self-isolate. Some sites have also had to close temporarily due to confirmed cases and we expect that this will continue to happen on occasion. Please help us keep things running smoothly by:
- Using our online services wherever you can, as our phone lines are currently very busy
- Respecting our staff, who are working hard to deliver our services in a way that's safe for everyone
- Remaining cautious - if you have coronavirus symptoms, please stay at home and arrange a test
- Being considerate of those around you - remember that many of the people you come into contact with could be either vulnerable or anxious about the legal restrictions being lifted
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself, the people around you and the progress we've made in the fight against Covid is to get both doses of the vaccine, as soon as you can. If you have questions about the vaccine and whether it's right for you, you can find the answers at BeatCovidNE.co.uk.
As ever, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work towards a safe return to normality.
