This page provides some information the Coronovirus outbreak, and lists some of the help available to Sandwell residents.

Although there are several local volunteer groups helping their local community, if you are a business, or worried about debt and need financial help, visit Sandwell Council's Coronavirus advice page.

Community Support in Sandwell

There are a number of local groups that have spring up that are offering support to their local community. This can be as simple as phoning their neighbours to check they are OK, or helping out by getting shopping, or medications, for the elderly or vulnerable. In these strange times, it's good to know of positive responses and actions. The links below shows what is happening and where, so you can get involved. (Most of these are local Facebook groups.)

• Great Barr Volunteers signup form
  A community support group organised by local residents in Great Barr, phoning vulnerable neighbours, and offering other support. Sign-up to volunteer using the form above, or via the Great Barr Neighbourhood Forum on Facebook.
• Bearwood Mutual Aid group on Facebook
• Wednesbury Coronavirus Support Group on Facebook
• Sandwell (Tipton) COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group on Facebook
• Oakham/Tividale Covid-19 Community Support group on Facebook

Online resources for you to use

These online resources are produced by volunteers and public bodies.

Please use them and share them with your friends and neighbours. We will be updating it regularly as more resources become available.

People may have concerns about transmitting the virus via paper. Current health advice is that delivering items to people’s letterboxes is ok, as set out in the Royal Mail’s statement on their continuing to deliver the post: www.royalmail.com/coronavirus

Where can I find the latest advice?

The latest UK Government advice is available at gov.uk/coronavirus

The latest England medical advice is available at nhs.uk/coronavirus

The latest Scotland medical advice is available at nhsinform.scot/coronavirus

Taking sensible precautions while helping others

Please take all appropriate medical advice seriously before calling on anyone and look to emulate best practice, such as from online supermarket delivery services.

In particular:

• Hygiene – washing our hands more regularly soap and water for 20 seconds. You may want to take hand sanitiser (at least 60% alcohol content) out with you.
• Social distancing – including not shaking hands with residents or colleagues, keeping 2m apart, leaving things on doorsteps

Your ideas

All across the UK communities and individuals are developing new ideas and new resources for how we can care for our neighbours at this difficult time. If you’ve developed a community resource and would like it shared on this site, email us at content@libdems.org.uk