There was a minute silence at 11.00am on 28th April 2020 in recognition of the NHS staff and key workers who have sadly lost their lives to Covid-19.

Panorama last night found that people in healthcare jobs were forced to put their lives at risk because of insufficient PPE. Our country has not built up, or procured, sufficient stock of the right type of equipment, and healthcare and social care workers are being asked to make do with what is available There have been 100 lives lost so far. The Panorama Reporter asked how many lives have been lost because of the shortage of PPE?

Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran’s started a petition back in March asking for compensation for families of NHS staff who die from Covid-19. The petition was signed by 60 MPs. Yesterday, it was an announced that this has had some success. Families will now receive £60K. Layla Moran called this a good start and says more needs to be done to bring them into line with armed forces personnel who die in active service.

The video shows the minute’s silence looking out onto a rainy West St Helen Street. I expect there was something more significant at Abingdon Community Hospital. They will know people who lost their lives. It was announced on April 19th that Margaret Tapley, from Witney Community Hospital, lost her life to Covid-19.

The NHS pictures come from
* Penlon Place, Abingdon (Penlon make Ventilators and so provide an important part of NHS equipment to fight Covid-19);
* Steventon Road, Drayton
* The Abbey Fish Ponds Nature Reserve on Radley Road, Abingdon.

With emptier roads, and people wanting to be well spaced out on the pavements, it is far more common for people to run or walk in the road. Cyclists are also more likely to go in the road where there is a cycleway, even if it is against another set of rules – The Highway Code.

At the end of Wilsham Road there is a warning sign about pedestrians.

M sent an email which prompted this post. He said ‘I have had a lot of incidents when I have had to move aside because someone else refused to, or runners and cyclists rush past me with no attempt to keep 2 metres away. They are more dangerous than walkers as their breath is stronger, and I read that one should immediately step aside if caught in the slipstream of one who has just gone past.’

He also mentions a cyclist on the pavement that forced him as a pedestrian into the road. He shouted after the cyclist and they scowled back.

Somebody I know, who is strict about abiding by the rules, says she was incensed when her neighbour had visitors round for a noisy Bar-B-Q.

At Tesco with the new direction arrows, most people follow the arrows. My wife pointed the arrows out to another shopper who was consistently going against the suggested route.

Whereas a lot of people abide by the rules about distancing, others appear to carry on much as before.  They may have other things on their mind (such as a mobile phone). They may not want to be told how to behave.

Maybe a psychologist will do a study called ‘The Psychology of Social Distancing.’

Diana sent this rainbow of colour which made her smile when taking her walk down the Radley Road yesterday.

Julian updated me on the Abingdon Corona Virus response group to be found on Facebook. Here are some of the the actions put in place:
* An emergency response team for the council.
* A cross-town team taking on deliveries for the co-op and the foodbank, plus providing ‘overflow’ capacity for ‘regular’ requests
* They have 3 area reps and 29 neighbourhood coordinators and 500 active volunteers
* They postcarded nearly 17,000 houses
* They are working with AbiMeds

There are now got 550 hi-viz jackets for all Street Coordinators to wear, so that they are instantly recognisable as being part of the group. Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council funded those and also 20 litres of hand sanitizer and 190 small bottles. S.E. Workwear helped supply the jackets.

Julian says ‘All of this is a great town effort, from people, many of who have never met, who are embracing their community and helping out anyone who is vulnerable in these challenging times.‘ He gives special mention to Sarah ‘Sez’ Anthony,  who has instigated and set up the group.

The thoughts for the day (top right) are not happening over the weekend. I did spot this bible verse on our walk today down Spring Road.

Thanks to Hester for this …

AbiMeds are delivering 3 days a week and in the first week did 216 deliveries and had excellent feedback.

The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames Cllr Charlie Birks has done some stints.

What is AbiMeds?

AbiMeds is a free community prescription delivery service set up by the AbiMeds Team and volunteers from Abingdon’s Freewheeling cycling group.

Where does AbiMeds deliver?

Volunteers deliver in Abingdon, Culham, Sutton Courtenay, Drayton, Marcham, Shippon, Wootton and Radley.

Who can use AbiMeds?

AbiMeds is for anybody with prescriptions at Boots and Jhoots, not just those shielding, self isolating or supporting vulnerable people. Its main aim is to cut down the queues at pharmacies, reducing the risk of infection to both customers and pharmacy staff. (Avicenna have their own delivery scheme.)

Volunteers and carers who are already helping people with prescriptions may wish to continue, or may prefer to spend less time on this and in the queues, leaving more time for other forms of support.

How to Use AbiMeds – Phone 01865 818351 between 09.00-16.00 any day except Sunday.

Deliveries

Deliveries will be on 3 days in the week –  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

AbiMeds will collect and sort the prescription packages from the pharmacies. They have worked closely with the pharmacies to ensure security of the prescriptions.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE

AbiMeds cannot deal with money: if you pay for your prescriptions, please arrange with your pharmacy to pay in advance. If that is not possible, sadly AbiMeds cannot help you. But they can direct you to other groups who can.

AbiMeds cannot take messages or do call-backs: if you cannot get through, or the phone goes to voicemail, please try again later.

If there are any difficulties with accessing your property, please tell AbiMeds when you ring so that arrangements can be made.

The Abbey Grounds are a short distance from our house. We often walk through them on the way to somewhere else. Today we made them our walk.

The furthest point we got to was the wooden bridge to Barton Fields. We did not cross that bridge or cross the weir. Instead we meandered back over the grass.

The Abbey Grounds had a nine hole pitch and put course until four years ago. The felt tee areas are still partly in place, and the slope of some of the bunkers, but the bunkers and greens have the same length grass as everywhere else. It is all rough now.

The trees are looking very good. Some in blossom.

Others coming into leaf .

Wild flowers are important now that it is not a golf course. Stars of Bethlehem were growing in one place.

Walking back along Abbey Close we passed two PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) on bikes, and a police car – a reminder that we are permitted walks for exercise during the lockdown. There were not the groups of young people, groups of families, or groups doing exercise, you might normally expect to see on such a sunny day.

Diana spotted these pebbles in St John’s Road on a walk this week.

Clare sent me an email to say the Quilters of Abingdon (Abbey Quilters, Fitzharrys Quilters and I’m sure some of their friends) have been making bags so that the midwives at the JR can, when they finish a shift, change, put their uniforms in these bags and put them straight in the washing machine when they get home without spreading germs. The member of Abbey Quilters who is organising this says that nearly 90 bags have been delivered so far and she has another 50 to be taken up this weekend.

The bags are about the size of a pillowcase, with a drawstring at the top and must be washable at 60 degrees. They must be washed, pressed and delivered in twos in a ziplock plastic bag.

I took this picture of the work on the cycleway between Abingdon and Milton Park and Didcot that is being upgraded. They have been making good progress in the last week or so. It is not open yet but nevertheless we were allowed to pass thanks to the workmen.

I recorded a video of the same view of Abingdon on 15th April when it was sunny and then 17th April when the rain set it. We have had a lot of sunshine. The last two days have been overcast and with rain. The video shows the contrast.

There is an international pandemic. Most businesses have closed down, and people are locked down at home. We are valuing our essential services more than ever. There are notices on some wheelie bins thanking the waste collection and recycling services.

This week after the Easter bank holidays the recycle collection (green wheelie bins) will be one day late..

Our green bin (recycled waste) was fuller than usual and I would think that could be the case with many households. Household Waste Recycling Centres are closed until further notice so that adds to the pressure.

Our local district council, VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council), have offered some guidance because of coronavirus. Like all services there have been some staff shortages due to illness and self-isolation and to manage this staff have been redeployed and agency drivers brought in to help.

As a result, there is the chance crews might not complete all of their daily rounds. VWHDC says ‘If the bins in your street are not emptied, please leave them out for up to three days (including weekends) and we’ll try to catch up. If still not emptied, bring them back in and we will empty them on the next planned collection day.’

VWHDC have suspended some non-essential services. This could change further as the lockdown has been extended for three more weeks.

Central government guidance is that ‘Residents with symptoms of Covid-19 should double bag any discarded tissues and other waste and leave for 72 hours before placing them in their main black rubbish bin.’

Like many areas, the ‘Workhouse Estate’ (Abbott Road, Thesiger Road and a bit of Oxford Road) has started a thriving What’s App Group with lots of sharing of ideas and practical help. They are also keen to show the key workers how much their efforts are appreciated – apart from the Thursday clapping they have a banner at the top of the road and this message for the bin men at the other end.

Thank you to someone from the Workhouse Estate for the first and last pictures.

Tony sent this picture taken from the footbridge to the Wildmoor allotments during their exercise walk today. Nobody appeared to be hurt. Traffic tailed back as far as the eye could see.

I was at work doing a double shift so did not see much of Abingdon. At work procedures keep tightening up more and more to protect the people we support. Today was the first time we wore PPE most of the time. At 8pm I went on the doorstep with one of the people we support, and took off the facemask apron and gloves, to clap the NHS. As well as a lot of people on their doorsteps clapping, there were saucepans being bashed and some fireworks. I haven’t yet been at home to take pictures from West St Helen Street of the Thursday at 8pm tribute.

I cycle past apple trees in blossom, sheep and lambs, and cows and calves on the way to work.

A notice at Abingdon Lock reminds people to stay at home.

I went for an exercise walk in the early evening, and there were very few people out.

Pigeons normally find leftovers dropped by people leaving cafes and takeaways, but there are lean pickings on Abingdon High Street.

I see a man out cleaning our street most mornings during the lockdown. By webcam I have just seen somebody cleaning a street in Tokyo.

People at home can still look out on the world through webcams. https://www.webcamtaxi.com/en/united-kingdom.html allows a way to visit a variety of places in the UK and around the world.

Both Oxford …

and New York show that we are in this together.

P.S. Revd Jen Brown’s thought for today on 15th April is thankfulness to the people keeping the country going.