It was a much quieter day on Facebook yesterday for
messages about the coronavirus crisis.
But there were still a number of posts aiming to get
information across to concerned local people.
The Llangollen
Zero Waste and Food Share Project, for instance, said: “We are now OPEN
every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 2pm - 2.30pm at Pengwern
Community Centre.
“We are here to help everyone who is
struggling and we understand that the current crisis has put many more people
in financial difficulty. PLEASE DO NOT GO WITHOUT FOOD.
“We have enough supplies to support
everyone in need. Please point people in our direction, including over 70s,
people in isolation and anyone who is vulnerable, or contact us on their
behalf.
“You can contact us using the message
button on our Facebook page or phone us on 07710 789 854. We will respond
as soon as we can. Please be patient, we are run entirely by unpaid
volunteers.
“However, we ask that you only use our
services if you need to: if you can afford to buy food but can't get to the
shops there are delivery services and volunteers available to support you:
visit the Llangollen Coronavirus Help Page and see the Coronavirus Newsletter
for phone numbers.
“Please message or phone us in advance
before 2pm on our opening days if you would like to collect a food parcel
during our opening times for yourself or someone in need. Let us know how
many adults and children it is for, and how long it needs to last.
“Social distancing applies when
collecting from Pengwern Community Centre as follows:
- You cannot come inside the Community
Centre
- The ramp is too narrow for 2 people to
pass. - Wait on the car park keeping 2m apart
- One at a time come up the ramp onto
the decking
- Your parcel will be put out on the
decking
- Wait until the person in front of you
has left the ramp before you walk onto it.
“If you are unable to collect, and no
one can collect for you, volunteers can deliver to your home. Please
phone or message us before 2pm on our opening days for delivery that day.
“Calls and messages after that will not
be delivered until our next opening day. Delivery volunteers will drop your
parcel outside your door, knock or ring the bell, and step away a few metres.”
Clwyd
South MP Simon Baynes (pictured) took to Facebook to tell his constituents
that: “The government has launched a new #Coronavirus Information service on
WhatsApp. Get official advice and information about coronavirus directly from
the UK Government. Get started by WhatsApping ‘hi’ to 07860 064422.”
Llangollen
vicar, Father Lee Taylor, posted that his thoughts had been
included in an article featured in Aljazeera.com, the online resource of the
Qatari-based international news channel.
 |
* Father Lee Taylor has been streaming services and prayers live on Facebook during the coronavirus crisis. |
The subject was how
coronavirus is changing funeral rites, mourning and grief.
The article said: “In
Llangollen, a rural town in northern Wales, Father Lee Taylor presides over
four churches scattered in the area.
“He said
social distancing measures had devastated the vulnerable, elderly members of
his congregation who relied on Sunday church notices for information.
“‘People
are dying in my community, and I'm not able to tell [their friends] because
they're not on social media,’” he told Al Jazeera.
“He said
his pastoral practice felt regimented and apathetic at a time when physical
touch and presence were a critical source of consolation.
“‘Traditionally,
when somebody dies, I visit the next of kin in the family. Being alongside
people physically, being next to them, having a cup of tea, putting a hand on
their shoulder, praying with them as you hold their hand, it's such an
essential part of that pastoral work.
“‘When
someone dies, you feel isolated as it is. You're out in the wilderness. With
these restrictions and isolation measures, it's ten times as worse.’"
He added: "Downloaded the order of service from our website: www.stcollenschurch.org.uk
"Please share and start a 'watch party'.
"Send any prayer requests, names of those who are sick or departed you would like prayed for during the live feed."
Yesterday
saw a press release issued by North
Wales Police on the subject of coronavirus and still hammering home the “stay
at home” message.
It
said: “As the Coronavirus epidemic develops and with the introduction of
stricter restriction on peoples movements nationally, North Wales Police are
urging members of the public to use their services wisely and help keep the 999
line free for emergencies only.
“The call is being made as
the Force has seen a significant increase in the amount of calls they have
received over the last week, in particular calls regarding matters unrelated to
police and non-urgent matters being reported via 999.
“Superintendent Neil Thomas,
who is in charge of the Force’s Control Room in St Asaph said: ‘This week has
been another challenging one for North Wales Police with a surge of public
calls into the control room from people trying to seek clarification on various
issues related to the coronavirus. Whilst I appreciate that people are calling
us in good faith, these calls are dealt with by emergency call handlers who are
already working on high demand and reduced staffing levels. I would like to
emphasise that we have well-rehearsed plans in place to ensure that we continue
to provide a service the public.
‘However, unnecessary calls
into the control room is having a significant impact on our ability to deal
with genuine calls and is putting people’s lives at risk. Please only call the
police when necessary and do not revert to dialling 999 if we are unable to
answer your 101 calls or webchat.
‘The volume of calls has
grown significantly and there has been a large increase in the amount of people
contacting us via live webchat and emails. I want to encourage people to
continue using the live webchat and email functions for non-urgent police
matters. Thank you to everyone who has been doing this already in an effort to
reduce the demand on our emergency call handlers, who are already working
extremely hard to continue to support our response to incidents.
‘We have also seen an
increase in the number of reports being made to us relating to potential
breaches of Government guidelines on social distancing and isolation. Our
initial approach will be to engage with people who are found not abiding to the
guidelines before explaining why these rules are important and encouraging them
to follow them. If they are not compliant, then as a last resort we will
enforce the emergency legislation brought in this week where necessary.
“Supt Thomas added: ‘We are
urging the public that if they are seeking advice around COVID-19 and what it
means for them, they should refer themselves to the UK Government, Welsh
Government and Public Health Wales websites for information and guidance. This
will enable our call takers and officers to focus purely on policing matters
and ensure resources are being utilised effectively.’”
