Signs bearing coronavirus advice have appeared on a Camberwell estate after Southwark News made an enquiry to the council, writes Kit Heren…
Residents had been concerned about a lack of social distancing notices in and around the Castlemead tower block on the Camberwell Road – despite a rapidly rising coronavirus infection rate in Southwark.
John Scahill, who lives in the tower, said he was worried that not having signs telling people to limit the number of people in lifts, residents and visitors might forget social distancing rules.
“It’s just easier if we have those signs – it makes it less awkward and takes away any ambiguity when you’re going up in the lift and you have to ask someone not to come in with you,” he said.
“We’re getting more and more cases in the area, and I just want to know the council are taking it seriously… they took the time to make a long document about how were they were approaching Covid, but what about practical steps like this?”
With an average of 21.6 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to September 10, Southwark is one of more than 20 London boroughs with coronavirus infection rates above the level at which the Government is imposing quarantine on travellers coming from foreign countries.
The borough’s infection rate increased from 16.9 in the week ending September 3, according to Public Health England.
In correspondence seen by the News, Mr Scahill repeatedly asked council officials for updates about when the signs will arrive, over a period of more than two weeks.
A council worker said the notices would be delivered “shortly” and Southwark would “rely on our residents taking a sensible approach”.
But after the News made enquiries to the council this week, Mr Scahill was pleased to see coronavirus advice soon appear on Castlemead’s notice boards.
Mr Scahill said he was “very happy to see clear information on keeping tenants safe and now hope that Southwark continues in its efforts so that we are all advised on how best to keep one another protected.”
A spokesperson for Southwark Council said: “We don’t have a definitive list of the considerable amount of signage we’ve produced in our response to Covid, but it’s always helpful to get residents’ feedback so we can consider such requests.”
There is only one group of people ignoring the virus and then they wonder why they have a higher death rate