COVID-19: THE NEED FOR A GOVERNMENT HELPLINE

During my conversation live on BBC Radio Oxford this morning with David Prever, he made a very good suggestion.  We were talking about getting amateur music groups re-started, and whether there was any exemption to the new 'rule of 6' that would let larger groups assemble.

We looked at the exemptions for "sport" and "places of worship".  However valid we might like to think they are, such an approach would be very uncertain.  With the risk that people and venues can now be fined for breaking what will be a law.  That is from Monday 14 September, once the new regulations are enacted.

We discussed ideas that were more valid for how amateur music groups like brass bands and orchestras could perhaps work within the rules whilst also being COVID-sensible.  But would those ideas be acceptable?

So David suggested a government HelpLine for all such COVID questions.  This actually overlaps with the new idea of COVID Marshals, whose job appears to primarily be to provide advice to the public.

It looks like these marshals will be employed by councils, such as Oxford City.  It would then make sense for each Council to have a helpline to their marshal team.

It was back at the beginning of August I wrote "Not only does the communications need to improve dramatically, there ought to be people out in the community advising, encouraging, and if necessary chiding.  Aren’t there contact tracers fiddling their thumbs?  They need to become modern-day air raid wardens."

Indeed, it would make sense for these new marshals to be called "wardens" and have contact tracing as part of their role.   

This in part comes down to organisation and funding.  I hope that councils will have their warden team fully funded, separately from other funds.


Update: The BBC have now published this article suggesting there is no new funds, and marshals should be either existing employees or volunteers.  A half-hearted approach to a a major need.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARSHALS AND POLICE

It's not yet clear whether the marshals will have the power to levy fines, or whether they would have to refer any perilous matter to the police.

There's also Police Community Support Officers.  I referred a matter of concern about hairdressers to a pair I saw a week or so ago.  They said it was a matter for the Health and Safety team at the Council, but would have a chat with the businesses involved. 


Perhaps the role and powers of PCSOs need to be revised.