Coronavirus: Community groups spring up to support people self-isolating

Hundreds of community groups have sprung up across the UK to provide support to people affected by COVID-19.

Louise Sharp, who created a Facebook page called Newcastle upon Tyne COVID-19 Mutual Aid on Friday evening, told Sky News it had “escalated quicker than I thought”, with 2,000 members already.

She took action because she was becoming concerned for the elderly and disabled, and about how the outbreak is “affecting anxiety”.

Simple things such as getting prescriptions and walking the dog could become difficult for those who are unwell or self-isolating, she said.

But the page is bringing its own problems, because “people are posting things that may not be true”, she said.

One of its members is part of the local police force, however, and others with safeguarding expertise have joined too.

In London, a councillor in Lambeth, Ed Davie, tweeted: “Mutual aid groups show real community spirit but please wait for official guidance before making physical contact with strangers.

“We don’t want to inadvertently spread virus or enable vulnerable people to be exploited.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told Sky News that over-70s will be asked to self-isolate “in the coming weeks” to try to protect them from coronavirus – and it could potentially last for months.

Some 35 people have died in the UK after testing positive for COVID-19, and 1,372 have been infected.

In Falmouth, Cornwall, university lecturer Becky Wass, 32, has made a postcard designed to help people who are staying away from others, with the hashtag #viralkindness.

Ms Wass said that “fear has spread quickly (understandably!), so let’s try to spread kindness”.

The card has categories people might need help with, such as posting mail and a “friendly phone call”.

The Facebook groups are being linked nationally by Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK.

Anna Vickerstaff, one of the coordinators, said they wanted to ensure that “no one in our communities is being left to face this crisis alone”.

A contributor to Liverpool COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group said she was a psychologist and happy to help anyone in need of emotional support, adding that “social isolation can be awful for our system – especially in terms of fighting off infections”.

People contributing to a Facebook group called Coronavirus Community Help Bournemouth and Poole have been debating how to help those who may be home alone – but without spreading the virus.

One member asked how volunteers who are shopping for those in self-isolation could take payment, wondering: “What happens when an infected person orders and hands over cash?”

They added: “I think thought needs to be put into how cross-contamination can be prevented to avoid a good-hearted idea putting vulnerable people at risk.”

Someone on a Facebook page called Bristol Community Care – Covid-19 Mutual Aid suggested collecting old smart phones for people who do not have them so they can “video call friends and family”.

A contributor to the Wolverhampton COVID-19 Mutual Aid page said they had found a shop with lots of nappies, wipes and toilet rolls, for those who were struggling to locate such items.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Community groups spring up to support people self-isolating