Coronavirus – Gillotts Closed for Cleaning, Events Cancelled and Volunteer Group Set-Up
Gillotts School is closed today (Monday) for a deep clean after a suspected case of coronavirus was confirmed on Friday. Other events are being cancelled and with the warning that the over 70s might need to self-isolate, a Henley Covid-19 volunteer group has been set-up.
Headteacher Catharine Darnton wrote to parents:
“We have taken advice from the Department for Education this morning. Current NHS advice is that testing for coronavirus is not necessary for people that are self isolating. Guidance is that there is no need to close the school if there is a suspected case. However there is advice to clean schools where there is a suspected case.
Gillotts will therefore be closed on Monday to enable us to undertake this cleaning.
In line with government advice, we will be open as normal on Tuesday. You will be aware that advice is being updated regularly and we will be constantly monitoring for any changes.”
Work was being set for students via the online Google Classroom.
Chair of the Henley Business Partnership, Niki Schafer took the decision to cancel the 3FM networking meeting that was planned for Friday (20 March). She said, “I genuinely think it is not the right course of action to go ahead with 3FM this coming Friday. While I would in no way encourage panicking, I don’t think a social gathering of tens of people is a way to ‘keep calm and carry on’. We are encouraging people to use this time to have 1:1 business meetings, promoting each other’s businesses on social media etc. and supporting local businesses by shopping local. We are looking at doing a Facebook live session.”
The Henley Society have cancelled their talk ‘Making Henley Carbon Neutral’ tomorrow (Tuesday) 17 March from Tony Hoskins.
We will update our Events Calendar and show which events are cancelled.
A new volunteer Facebook group Henley Covid-19 Mutual Aid Group to help the vulnerable and elderly has been set up yesterday. The group are currently co-ordinating and planning a structure on how this will work. If you would like to help, please join this.
Shops in Henley are still seeing empty shelves and there are long queues at the checkouts due to panic buying . People are being asked to refrain from doing this and to think of the vulnerable or elderly who may only be able to shop once a week. To also help, please donate in the Tesco and Waitrose food baskets which are distributed to Nomad Food bank, Over 60s club and the Christ Church Centre.
