We are in the midst of a global pandemic. The effects on all of us will be profound and serious. The LCA is concerned about the impact of the Covid19 coronavirus on our community. This page will be used to provide information and advice.
This main page provides a comprehensive listing of official documents and advice and range of other support and information.
Please also see the drop down menu at the top of the page for dedicated information on:
- NHS advice
- mental health support
- community support
- social distancing
- lockdown
- employers, employees & businesses
- self employed
- claiming benefits
- travel advice
- resources
- Manchester City Council
- press conferences
Further updates will be made as information and advice changes.
4 January 2021 UPDATE
Please see HERE for a summary of the new lockdown rules introduced on 4 January.
22nd September 2020 UPDATE
- Please see HERE for a summary of the new national restrictions and the difference between those and the Manchester local lockdown restrictions.
31st July 2020 UPDATE
- Please see HERE for guidance on the local lockdown restrictions applicable to Manchester.
Sections on this page
- Emergency measures
- Advice in translation
- Official advice
- NHS advice and information
- UK government advice and information
- World Health Organisation advice and information
- Manchester City Council advice and information
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority advice and information
- Community Support
- Getting support as an extremely vulnerable person
- Manchester Community Response Helpline
- NHS Community Responders
- Levy Corona Helpers
- Gorton Corona Helpers
- Levenshulme Good Neighbours
- The Silverline
- Covid19 UK Community Hub
- Alzheimer’s Society
- AgeUK
- Mental Health organisations and support
- Citizens’ Advice
- RSPCA
- Afzal Khan MP
Emergency Measures from 23rd March 2020
The government has introduced new emergency measures from 23rd March. The key requirements that all citizens MUST comply with are:
- Requiring people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes
- Closing non-essential shops and community spaces
- Stopping all gatherings of more than two people in public
A more detailed list of businesses that must close and those businesses and services that can remain open is available HERE
Doctors of the World have developed Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for patients in 34 languages. These were produced in partnership with the British Red Cross, Migrant Help and Clear Voice. The guidance is based on the government’s updated advice and health information.
The advice is available in 34 languages: English, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Bulgarian, Czech, Dari, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Hungarian, Kurdish Sorani, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Romanian, Sindhi, Slovak, Spanish, Somali, Tigrinya, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese.
You can find all files HERE on the Doctors of the World website or HERE in our Resources section.
Official Advice
- Advice for everyone
- Advice for people at higher risk
- Symptoms and what to do
- Self-isolation if you or someone you live with has symptoms
- More information
UK Government advice and information
- Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy
- The Government’s roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the COVID-19 crisis
- published 11 May 2020
- Guidance on social distancing
- published March 16
- updated March 23, March 30
- Staying at home and away from others (social distancing)
- published 23 March 2020
- updated 29 March
- Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do
- published 29 March
- Government action plan: a guide to what you can expect across the UK
- published March 3
- Guidance for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19)
- updated March 23, March 26
- Government guidance for employees
- updated March 23, March 26
- Government guidance: support for businesses
- updated March 23, March 26
- Self-employment Income Support Scheme
- published 26 March 2020
- Government guidance: support for those affected by Covid-19
- published March 11 by HM Treasury
- updated March 18, March 19, March 26
- COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable
- published 21 March
- updated 24 March, 30 March
- COVID-19: guidance for households with possible coronavirus infection
- published 12 March
- updated 16 March, 18 March, 20 March, 23 March, 24 March
- Government travel advice
- published 4 February by Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- updated 21 February, 26 February, 2 March, 6 March, 9 March, 10 March, 12 March, 15 March, 17 March, 18, March, 23 March, 30 March
- Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and risk in the UK
- published January 24
- updated every day
- Emergency bill to strengthen coronavirus (COVID-19) response plans
- news update published March 17
- COVID-19: free school meals guidance for schools
- published March 19
- updated March 20, March 31
- COVID-19: guidance for staff in the transport sector
- updated March 19, March 27
- COVID-19: cleaning of non-healthcare settings
- published February 26
- updated March 19, March 26
- COVID-19: guidance on home care provision
- updated March 19
How to protect yourselves and others
- Staying at home if you think you have coronavirus (self-isolating)
- Staying at home and away from others (social distancing)
- Staying at home: what you can and cannot do
- How to protect extremely vulnerable people (shielding)
- Guidance on pregnancy and coronavirus
Employment and financial support
- Check if you can get statutory sick pay (SSP)
- Check if you’re eligible for Universal Credit
- Check if you’re eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Employers can apply for staff to get up to 80% pay if they can’t work
- Financial help if you’re self-employed
- Get an isolation note to give to your employer
- Your rights if your hours are cut or you’re laid off
- What to do if you cannot pay your tax bill on time
Businesses and other organisations
- How to keep your employees safe
- Businesses and community spaces that must be closed
- How to clean workplaces safely
- Check what you need to do about Statutory Sick Pay
- Find out what business support you can get
- UK businesses trading internationally
- What the government is doing to support businesses
- How to close holiday accommodation to temporary residents
Healthcare Workers and Carers
- NHS guidance for people working in healthcare
- How to protect people in residential care, supported living and home care
- How to manage adult social care
- How to protect extremely vulnerable people (shielding)
School closures, education and childcare
- What parents and carers need to know about closures
- Guidance for schools and local authorities on closures
- School opening for children of key workers
- Cancelled exams
- Supporting vulnerable children
- Full guidance for schools and other educational settings
Travel
- Information for British citizens travelling abroad
- Foreign travel advice for each country
- Guidance for visa applicants in the UK and abroad
- Avoid travel to second homes, campsites and caravan parks
How coronavirus is affecting public services
Benefits
Crime, justice and the law
Driving and transport
- Car, motorcycle and van MOTs extended by 6 months
- Driving and theory tests suspended
- MOTs for heavy vehicles suspended
- Relaxation of drivers’ hours rules
- Vehicle approval tests suspended
Housing and local services
How you can help
Coronavirus cases in the UK
- Your questions answered
- Travel advice
- Situation reports
- Media resources
- Research and Development
- Mythbusters
- Tailored information for individuals, organizations and communities
Manchester City Council advice and information
- Support for Manchester’s most vulnerable people
- Health advice
- Businesses and employers
- Bins, rubbish and recycling
- Roads and transport
- Contacting The Council
- Schools
- Libraries
- Benefits and money
- Public events and gatherings
- Leisure activities
- Registrars
- How can you help?
- Advice if you’re anxious
- Sign up for Coronavirus email updates
- Blogs
Greater Manchester Combined Authority advice and information
Community Support
Get support as an extremely vulnerable person
Register if you have a medical condition that makes you extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. For example, you’ll be able to ask for help getting deliveries of essential supplies like food. If you’re not sure whether your medical condition makes you extremely vulnerable, register anyway. You can register yourself, or on behalf of someone else. If you know it, it’s useful to have your NHS number to hand. You can find it on any letter the NHS has sent you or on a prescription.
Manchester Community Response Helpline
Get help – 0800 234 6123
Manchester City Council can provide help you if you are:
- over the age of 70, are self isolating and have no support network,
- if you have received a letter from the NHS advising you are high risk, or
- you are medically vulnerable according to the government criteria.
Get can help with things like:
- Delivery of food
- Delivery of medication
- Combating loneliness
- Managing fuel top-up payments
Help is also be available for other reasons, for example if you are a carer, care leaver or young carer.
The government is setting up a NHS Volunteer Responder Service, hoping to recruit 250,000 people to do simple but vital tasks such as:
- delivering medicines from pharmacies;
- driving patients to appointments;
- bringing them home from hospital;
- or making regular phone calls to check on people isolating at home.
The NHS Volunteer Responders Service is not intended to replace local groups helping their vulnerable neighbours but is an additional service provided by the NHS. You can become an NHS Volunteer Responder and join the NHS’s trusted list of volunteers by clicking HERE
A new Facebook group to help our Levenshulme community during the Covid19 crisis. The group is to share ideas and offer support to each other during this difficult time, particularly to those who are self isolating. If you would like to help click HERE to go to the Facebook group page and then ask to join or search Facebook groups for “Levy Corona Helpers“.
A new Facebook group helping Gorton people through this difficult time. If you would like to help click HERE to go to the Facebook group page and then ask to join or search Facebook groups for “Gorton Corona Helpers“.
Levenshulme Good Neighbours is a local charity that helps older people to lead independent and fulfilling lives as active members of their community.
The Silver Line is a confidential, free helpline for older people (over 55 years old). It is open 24 hours a day. The Silver Line Helpline is 0800 4 70 80 90
A Facebook group for the UK community to connect and be informed in order to protect each other from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus: Information for people affected by dementia.
Information about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Mental Health organisations and support
A list of organisations providing mental health support and advice in Manchester, online and by phone.
Citizens Advice understand that we can all face problems that seem complicated or intimidating. At Citizens Advice we believe no one should have to face these problems without good quality, independent advice. That’s why we’re here: to give people the knowledge and the confidence they need to find their way forward – whoever they are, and whatever their problem.
Greater Manchester Law Centre Covid19 Survival Guide
Greater Manchester Law Centre has developed a guide to support residents and support organisations to assist people through the current health emergency.
This guide will be updated regularly as the situation develops. This version is correct to 3rd April 2020. A downloadable version of the guide is available here
How to care for your pets if you’re ill or have to self-isolate due to Coronavirus.
A message on Coronavirus from Afzal Khan MP. He has also made a video in Urdu, available HERE.