Lincolnshire County Council leader reflects on new ways of doing things during Covid-19 pandemic

It is easy to see how people might become frustrated after enduring the effects of this global pandemic for the last seven months, writes Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill (Con).

Tragically however, Covid-19 has now resulted in the deaths of one million people worldwide and with the winter months approaching, we need to do all we can to live safely with this virus and avoid another national lockdown.

And while Lincolnshire continues to have lower numbers of confirmed cases than most other counties in the UK, we have seen those figures climbing.

In a bid to combat that worrying trend, I would encourage residents to download the National Health Service app, which was launched recently.

The NHS Test and Trace app works with all types of mobile phones and is designed to help people to report symptoms, order a coronavirus test, check into venues by scanning a QR code and helps the NHS trace individuals that may have the virus or have been exposed to it.

Hospitality businesses in Lincolnshire will now be legally required to display NHS QR posters inside their venues.

The posters must also be available in community facilities which are open to the public, and allows people to ‘check in’ so they will know if there have been cases nearby.

During these times which are far from normal, in Lincolnshire we have been finding different ways of doing things so we can continue with important events.

Our communities want to be able to remember the country’s fallen heroes from conflicts all over the world. Remembrance Day commemorations can and will continue, although this year arrangements will have to be slightly different.

The Royal British Legion has published new guidance that says Legion members cannot be involved in the organising or facilitating of road closures for Remembrance parades.

Instead, any road closure for a parade should be organised by the local civic authority – for example the town or parish council.

Event organisers will also need to adhere to Government guidelines on social distancing this year, and the council and police are able to offer advice to them on safety at their events.

If you are a new organiser or need support with your remembrance event, please get in touch by emailing eventsmanagement@lincolnshire.gov.uk or Group-Eventplanning@lincs.pnn.police.uk