Expand Community Call service to those isolating - McGinty

The Community Call Service should be expanded to all those who have to isolate according to Cllr Elaine McGinty.

“The people specifically mentioned in the Community Call Booklet are cocooners, and those with underlying conditions. There is nothing in the about support for those being asked to isolate because they have symptoms, tested positive or are close contacts.

“We are in unchartered territory given the large number of Covid cases at present. As part of the Government’s response, all local authorities have established a Covid -19 Community Call Forum.

“It allows state agencies, community, and voluntary groups to come together to provide supports or services to any vulnerable person who needs them.

“I believe that we now need to expand this service to the wider community.”

The forum brings together different organisations to provide important services like collection and delivery of essential items like food, ‘meals on wheels’, household items, fuel or medicine.

“Now that we are seeing such a rise in the daily recorded figures, we need to amend our response to include families where parents and children are isolating - how are they supposed to get groceries or medicines without leaving their homes? Currently, as with previous lockdowns, customers are having to book supermarket deliveries well in advance. A young family may not be considered, or consider themselves as vulnerable or socially isolated, but they do need help from their community. Such a family might also not have extended family living nearby.

“lt may well be that anyone who contacts their local community response forum will get support. However, anyone reading the Community Call booklet will think its supports are only available to vulnerable or socially isolated people.”

“I would welcome it if Community Call was relaunched in the County with explicit offers of support to the wider community,” she said.