Pre-departure testing for all International arrivals to Northern Ireland
From 21 January 2021 international travellers will be required to present a negative Covid-19 test result before arriving in Northern Ireland.
Money Map – an update from Dundee Citizens’ Advice Bureau
Dundee CAB has advised councillors of a very useful online ‘Money Map’ tool from Citizens’ Advice Scotland.
It advises :
“The tool is hosted at www.moneymap.scot and brings together all the options for how people can improve their incomes and cut their living costs through areas such as housing, benefits, grants and energy bills and directs them to online sites where they can access these options.
The strength of the tool is that it gathers in all the best online sources of help, because we know that people can get frustrated searching endlessly online for information and often end up in the wrong place.
In Dundee we’ve seen people struggle with money, often not knowing what they are entitled to, and we know the pandemic has exacerbated this problem for many people.
Polling by YouGov shows the extent to which the pandemic has had an impact on household budgets. Almost half of people have run out of money before payday since restrictions began, and of those people 30 per cent have seen their financial situations worsen during restrictions.
While this is a digital option for people who can self-help, please also be aware that at Dundee CAB we have been providing advice throughout this crisis by telephone, email and face to face appointments in essential circumstances.
We want to help people in Dundee through this crisis and plan to be there to help them afterwards.”
Fire safety and home fire safety visits
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has advised that there has been a concerning increase in the number of people who have been injured and have sadly died due to fires within the home. This has been the case in Dundee where there have been 2 fatal fires this year. Over the previous 3 years, there were not any fatal fires in Dundee.
The service has identified that the key common factors are people over 50 who smoke and have mobility issues or live alone or use medical oxygen. Therefore the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is targeting its focus on people who meet these criteria in addition to its broader home fire safety visit checks.
Further to this, you can access here a useful guide and self-assessment about fire safety in the home – this also advises how you can book a home fire safety visit as does the above poster.
Dr McBride and Dr Holohan urge everyone to stay home
Chief Medical Officers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have voiced their concerns about the high levels of Covid-19 and are urging everyone to stay home.
Ministers welcome launch of pharmacy codeword scheme for domestic abuse victims
Health Minister Robin Swann and Justice Minister Naomi Long have welcomed a new scheme launched by the UK Government for victims of domestic abuse to discretely seek help through pharmacies.