It is fantastic to reach out to your neighbourhood, however you don’t want to put anyone’s health at risk or be responsible for spreading Coronavirus. We are not a health specialist, we are a church so these guidelines are based on advice from Support Stafford and on advice on the NHS website, but if you think additional caution is required please use your common sense.
If you are in an at risk group (over 70, have a long term condition, are pregnant or have a weakened immune system) or have symptoms of Coronavirus please stay home and don’t offer help to others except via phone or online.
Keep Safe. Implement all the advice we have received from the NHS to wash hands and keep your distance. So don’t enter peoples homes, but leave groceries on the doorstep and keep 2m distancing.
Support your community. Offer help in the area you live and know well and where people recognise you and will know to trust you. This will be a big reassurance to those you help especially the elderly.
Be Realistic. We may need to offer support for a few months so make sure you offer to support a smaller number of homes. You want to make sure you can maintain your offer of help in the long term not just the first few days.
Be above reproach. Offer to collect groceries or pay for them yourself wherever possible. Accepting money for groceries is only to be done if you feel comfortable with this as a neighbour and we strongly advise that you do it with the full knowledge of at least one other person other than the person you are supporting so you can be accountable to them.