Life during lockdown

We live in an apartment block (Newham) and are 'shielding' due to age and existing health conditions; I noticed a note stuck on the noticeboard near the entrance of the block offering to help anyone who needs it eg collecting shopping/meds etc with apartment number, mobile number and first names.  We haven't had to use it yet as we are coping so far, but what a lovely idea.  Big shout out to that generous-hearted couple.

We would also like to say a big thank you to the young gentleman volunteer who brought our medications from the pharmacy and the Sainsburys delivery guys. We are blown away with the help we are being given to try and vavoid catching Covid-19

Last week my neighbours had a concert in the street.  We're lucky that it's a cul-de-sac and amazed at the local talent.  Oboes, violin, keyboards, poetry, guitar, harp, cello. Most were individual performances, some accompanied. Performers kept to their own steps or just in front and the audience watched from windows, doorsteps and some in the road, socially distancing.  Very uplifting and bonding for the community.

Hi, I'm a retired woman and my husband has been working from home since the start of this. I give moral support to my older friends by keeping in touch on the phone and I  am keeping my neighbour's front garden tidy as she is recently bereaved and staying with her son.

My step daughter has just recovered from quite a serious bout of the virus.  We ( all the family) are all following the guidance from the government as best we can. We don't make any unnecessary trips.
I notice a lot of discarded plastic gloves and even face masks are lying in the streets now ,when I go out for a walk, or I see them in the carpark of the supermarket. It's quite shocking how thoughtless people can be. I think the council should be telling people to,dispose of these items responsibly . Also, if they are so hard to get for NHS I don't know where people are getting them from??

regarding the contributor Conrad Taylor , it sounds like you are being very brave and  stepping up. Lambeth never was a very good council I am afraid to say and it sounds like they are letting you down in a serious way. Maybe you could try contacting a Councillor, sometimes they can get the council to perform their duties . Good luck to everyone. 

I am self-distancing:  when I have to leave the house, which is about once a fortnight, I wear a mask and disposable gloves.  In my shopping-trolley, which is my disguised walking-aid, I carry a packet of disposable-hand-sanitising-alcohol-wipes with which I clean anything that another person has touched.

I am the unpaid Secretary of the BHeard Adult Social Care Service Users' Group in the Borough of Brent.  I am trying to set up online virtual monthly BHeard meetings, using "Zoom" or similar software.  I think the BHeard meetings can still provide a forum where Brent Adult Social Care (ASC) and NHS Brent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) can Engage with Service Users about any proposed changes in the ways in which the ASC and the CCG provide their services.

I hope I am being useful to the community.

I live in a Temporary Accommodation facility in the Camberwell area, run by Lambeth Council. Currently we are 75+ homeless households, very diverse, all ages, some with health conditions. Unfortunately at present the Lambeth team responsible for running the place have scaled back staff presence here, our site manager was taken to hospital and not replaced; the hostel office is closed during the day. There is a cleaner who comes Monday to Friday to care for the public/shared areas, but otherwise we’ve been left to fend for ourselves. Since this started, we’ve had two deaths ‘in the family’.

Under the circumstances I have had to come forward as a volunteer, chiefly running our shared laundry room, but also sterilizing stair-rails and similar shared surfaces, passing on information, intercepting and directing courier deliveries, registering residents’ concerns. While i take what care i can, in these circumstances full social distancing is not practical, even though I am in a potentially vulnerable category.

Another problem we are facing here is that because Lambeth Council has left the hostel office closed by day, there have been no postal deliveries for four weeks now. I visited the Royal Mail Camberwell Delivery Office to ask for deliveries to be resumed, to no avail. Therefore, if businesses or government bodies, etc, have been trying to contact/inform residents by post, it is not getting through. Relatively few people have Internet access — in that respect, I am lucky.

Informaion has been posted in the hostel about COVID-19, but in English only. I have sourced translated information leaflets from ‘Doctors of the World’ and printed versions for residents in Somali, Arabic, Polish, Amharic and Tigrinya. All in all, I am quite busy!

Can I ask the Mayor to please consider suspending the use of Boris bikes . My area is inundated with 'tourists' coming from other parts of London. Many of them cycling on paths, lounging around taking photos and selfies. Its difficult to get out of their way quite often. We just do not need this uncessary volume of people inundating the area.

Hello , I'm from Greece, I don't know English I just want to participate to become an experiment for his vaccine covid19 ...I am interested in the world I live in and I want if I can offer to do it.. if you want to contact me on my e-mail.. thank you .! 

I am Mfa Zaman; a former homeless and lives in London. World is going to through a difficult moment due to the pandemic, corona virus. From last Tuesday, London had locked down to spread this virus among the people. So most people are in fear what will happen?

Lots of people started to stock food which created a crisis in our society. The elderly citizen and homeless people had faced most problem because they didn't get any support or access to survive. So I always have feeling for the homeless and senior citizens. I distributed food before lock down to homeless. Even during lock down; there are many homeless people around us; even we heard that Government are providing support and place for living to the homeless. Unfortunately there are many homeless people on street of London who are suffering. They are human like you and me but they don't have a human life so how they would protect themselves?

I am not able to provide a shed on their head but can provide food in empty stomach and give hope with smile. Everyday i walk and give food to those who are on the street.

Also as member of the faith group, I have attended in meetings at Mayor of London office to know information and step to tackle the crisis time. Because in our community, people are not much aware about it. They don't have the right information from correct source. It is our duty to raise awareness before it is getting worse.

Same time I have friends those are affect by Corona Virus. So they are going through a tough time most mentally then physically. Because everyone is worried what coming next? So I am always keep it touch with them to boost them to overcome it. Once a time those friends did lots for me while I had nothing even no hope. So today is time to return back with hope and love.

@mfazaman9 - Team London ambassador (Mayor of London) & ambassador of Mayor of Croydon from 2019, the founder of Safe & Save 

Dear Mayor!

I know you want to keep London ticking over and healthy, but...

As a self isolating person trying to work from home I find it extremely distressing to be bombarded by noise from private landlords continuing with renovation work, which apart from the noise, I suggest puts their workers at risk of CovD19 let alone strain on emergency needs services an accident occur. 

Please request that all of this cease, as basement extensions, etc are certainly not necessary and detrimental; to the rest of us trying to keep the actual economy moving from home.

Equally, I would like to express my disapproval of the chaos and din being caused on Prince Albert Road right now by diggers installing broadband. Seriously? There are people trying to "keep calm and carry on" here! 

Can the Mayor please act re  contractors working on Excel Centre / London Nightingale Hospital.

Gangs of contractors are working at "virus central"  - the greatest concentration of infected people in the whole country is going to be on this

site.  Contractors acting like louts and utter idiots.   Two major concerns:

They are going into local shops, refusing to respect distancing, barging into people, aggressive when asked to keep their distance.   There are only two food stores that are easy to find within 400 yards of the hospital,  One has closed its doors - shut.   Other is a tiny Tesco.  Fear for staff working in there, but also locals -  there is no other local shop - and for the spread of virus across London from this source.   Today, contractors refusing to distance at Tesco,, inside, and outside complaining about being asked to wait  as store is trying to operate six feet distancing  in the queue and two-in, two-out.    Saying it didn't matter because there is no distancing inside the hospital.   

They may soon find out where the other local shops are.   The area immediate to ExCel centre has very poor shopping facilities - just a few small shops -  and a lot of poorer and older people who have no alternative but to use those small stores  if they want to eat.   

Quesiton 1:    Does anyone care about the spread of the virus to the local population here - and then beyond - from the Hospital?

Question 2. Are these contractors fit to work inside the hospital, what harm will they cause NHS staff and the patients?   They are showing us what discipline is like inside and if it does not improve  I would be afraid to be sent there.

An area wide help group has been formed to help those in 'isolation' or just less able to obtain groceries, prescriptions etc. Although confined to the house we are phoning friends and family much more than usual.  I hope we can all sustain this wonderful effort for what could be a long haul.  Many of us were out side of our front doors last night at eight to applaud the fantastic work of the NHS and those working so hard within it. All keeping our distance of course.

I already volunteer with a small London based charity who help vulnerable, elderly people in their borough. The charity team are fantastic and are working so hard (from home!) to do what they can. I am helping by making additional calls to check up on the clients and to just chat to them and hopefully help them feel a little less lonely. Hopefully the new NHS volunteers will help with this too!

LIke many London communities, I guess, we have formed a WhatsApp group for our road.  There are about 150 households and over 90 group members, so our main aim - putting people in touch so that help can be asked and offered - may pretty well have been realised. 

We'll see how it works out, and we won't know until we're tested.  So far, there's been some good sharing (veg boxes, milk, collection of medicines, etc.).  Also, in slacker times, people have posted about their lovely cats, and that's not been welcomed by all, but it might be price worth paying. (Oh, and a rather unwise neighbour posted a complaint about the underground...)

Tonight, if all goes well, we'll have a sing at 20.00 from windows and front gardens, led by a household of young actors and musicians.