As Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions continue, Ashford Borough Council is working closely with Public Health England and partners to respond to the situation.

You can keep up to date with the latest information on Coronavirus on the government website or visit NHS UK for advice and information. More information for businesses can be found on our Coronavirus advice for businesses page. We have also prepared information for Council Housing tenants.

Find out how council services are affected.

Residents who were shielding

The government guidance changed on 1 August to pause shielding. Anybody who was shielding has been advised they can go out and see other people, as long as they follow the same social distancing measures as the rest of the population. You may also return to work if your workplace is COVID-secure, or continue working from home. Children can return to school.

Visit the government website for more guidance on shielding.

With shielding paused, the government won't be providing food boxes or medicine deliveries, but there is still local support available. For example there are several food banks throughout the borough, and some of these can be viewed on our food bank map.

Other guidance

We also have information on how you can help others on our Coronavirus: Help for community groups page. This has information around how to get involved as well as a list of voluntary and community groups in the borough.

We also have guidance and practical tips to help you to keep active and protect your mental health in our Coronavirus: Help for families and individuals section.

Our key responsibilities are to protect our communities (especially those who are vulnerable), our staff, to maintain priority service delivery and assist our business community where possible.

If you are a company that is offering to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) please contact us by sending an email to PPE@ashford.gov.uk.

We have produced a document with Coronavirus guidance and advice translated into Nepalese – view Nepalese guidance and advice [pdf] 49KB. You can also translate any of our pages into a number of languages by clicking on the Browsealoud icon (image of headphones) in the top right-hand corner of each page.

How Ashford Borough Council is responding to the situation

Ashford Borough Council Leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson provides an update on how the council is supporting the community in these unprecedented times.

View video transcription [pdf] 569KB.

We have been closely monitoring the emerging situation and we would like to reassure our residents the council has contingency plans in place which set out how services will operate in the event there is any disruption to normal business. These plans are being regularly reviewed in light of Coronavirus and ongoing advice from central government. Officers are meeting regularly as this develops and working with partners in the Kent Resilience Forum which is continually monitoring the situation across Kent.

Prevent Coronavirus spreading

There are some things you can do to help stop viruses spreading:

cover your mouth with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough or sneeze;
put used tissues in the bin straight away;
wash your hands often with soap and water, or hand sanitiser gel;
try and avoid close contact with people who are unwell;
do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands aren't clean.

If you think you may have symptoms of the virus, use the online NHS 111 Coronavirus service or call 119 to book a test. Do not visit your GP, pharmacy or hospital. You should self-isolate for 14 days or until you get a negative test result.

If you spot a business operating when it should be closed, or groups of people gathering and ignoring social distancing measures, you can report incidents to Kent Police.

Page last updated: Friday 11 September 2020

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