Tylers Green Middle School and Manor Farm Junior School set up online Google Classroom sessions for all their home based pupils yesterday on what should have been the first day of the new term. Middle school head teacher Mrs Vanessa Pinkney said in a letter to parents: “Yesterday we fully expected the children to be in school today. I cannot imagine the disappointment that the children felt and my heart goes out to them.” A small number of children of key workers are attending both schools.
Chiltern Railways has reduced its timetable, which, for the next few weeks, is liable to differ from day to day. Passengers are advised to check the company’s website for train times. Great Western Railway has reduced its timetable by 20 per cent because of fewer passengers and the numbers of staff missing through illness and self-isolation. The Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines and Arriva Buses are maintaining their pre lockdown timetable for the present.
There were another 572 new cases of coronavirus reported in Buckinghamshire yesterday. Council leader Martin Tett said last night that in some parts of the county the case rate had reached 1,000 cases per 100,000 of the population. In neighbouring Berkshire 1,082 new cases were reported yesterday.
Buckinghamshire Council is redeploying its library staff to help vulnerable people for the rest of the lockdown so libraries will remain closed until further notice. All book loans have been extended and no fines will be charged during lockdown. An online library service is available on www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/libraries and internet access is available at High Wycombe and Amersham libraries.
The council said yesterday it does not envisage any changes to its household bin collection services. The rubbish tips and recycling centres in Wycombe, Amersham and Beaconsfield remain open between 9am and 4pm. People are advised to check traffic conditions at the sites before leaving via a webcam on http://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/bin-collection-recycling-and-waste
The charity, Penn and Tylers Green Village Care has had to continue its suspension of car lifts for clients, but its volunteers are calling vulnerable and immobile clients on a regular basis to ensure they are coping and offering help and advice where needed.
Vaccination centres in Marlow and Chesham are due to be set up at the end of this week in addition to the Wycombe centre at Adams Park. They will be partly staffed by nurses from local GP surgeries who are combining their resources to roll out the local vaccine programme.
Police were called to Slough Cemetery yesterday after more than 100 people attended a funeral in breach of lockdown restrictions. The limit is 30. The officers dispersed the mourners.
