CllrJulian Bell on Covid-19 Response "This is the time to get to get the reserves out and use them.”
I watched some children playing with their parents on the playground equipment in Walpole Park earlier and I wondered if you knew that the contagious result of touching the equpment even thee days later lingers there up to three days. The same with sports equipment in the park or in the gym. Likewise in a pub or cafe or restaurant oor even a business meeting,,microscopic water droplets hang in the air after an infected persons' visit for three hours, and were infectious for up to that long. Could Ealing not at least regulalry spray the outised playgrounds and sport equipment. Sadly running into Cllr Mik Saviers and Rupa Huq M.P a week ago I encountered a brick wall of ignorance, arrogrance, and a desire to spend nothing because onlo £9.8 million in the Council Reserves was available to Ealing Council and the rest was allocated. Oh their great emphasis was on the flu-related disaster plans that everyone had been touting in total ignorance of the enormous differece between flu and Covid-19. Unmitigated political bollocks from people who had no idea that there was even Covid-19 in the Borough at that particular time.As the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases double from 21 to 42 overnight in Ealing (as of 09:00) Wedneday 18th 2020 it was a belated relief to here an announcement by Council Leader Julian Bell:“I have already talked to my officers about how we need to have our own coronavirus emergency fund and use reserves for that,” Cllr Bell explained.“We always say reserves are for a rainy day and blimey this is a rainy day. This is the time to get the reserves out and use them.”First might I be so bold as to ask heim to a) empower chemists to make their own hand-sanitizer which they are not allowed to, b) divert front line staff to disinfect the children playground in the Boroughs, c) disinfect railings in popluar places such parks, tube stations, schools (those that are not closing), bus stop benches, ATM machines, lift buttons and interiors, buses, tube trains and trains, and perhaps even provide hand sanitisation stations all over the Borough, not forgetting any table or counter surface that has been touched as a plastic surface can carry an infectious load virus for up to three day. Likewise, ventilation is a must, and the virus droplets can hang around as microscopic droplets in the air around three hours and can causes infection, so open those hours and crack the air-conditioning system up to provide the most fresh coming in and old air getting out, it may be uncomfortable but it might save you from contracting the disease/ It is essential that hard surfaces like table and chairs and bar tops are regularly wiped and that the local cafes, pubs, glubs, restautans and their toilets and eashrooms are checked to make sure that there is soap hot water and towes and drierst ath workd (and perhaps some heatingin this cold weather too).The three hour aerosol virus in the air can be mitigated by goo ventilation such as opening windows and hours with the ait conditioning running on maximum fresh air into the building and old air oout of rather than recirculating it. Signs everwhere to remind people to wipe tables as well as thie hands.
Mark Julian Raymond ● 2147d0 Comments