On Friday (26 March), Sandwell Council’s Public Health team held a Covid-19 support webinar for Sandwell businesses, exploring the government roadmap out of lockdown, recovery, and how to deal with an outbreak of coronavirus in the workplace.

The webinar was a success, attended by around 40 representatives from Sandwell businesses, so the council is planning further sessions. Is there a coronavirus/recovery-related topic you’d like to discuss in the near future? Please contact Paul Fisher, Deputy Director of Public Health via paul_fisher@sandwell.gov.uk and tell him Think Sandwell sent you!

In the meantime, you can do even more to help to curb the spread of coronavirus in our borough by:

* Training to become a Sandwell Vaccination Leader, which gives you specialist briefings from Public Health and support in tackling misinformation. Learn more about Sandwell Vaccination Leaders here – and email PHCovid19Community@sandwell.gov.uk if, by the time you read this, all the sessions listed in the article have passed.

* Registering for free employee testing, to pick up cases of coronavirus where people are not showing any symptoms. You have until Monday 12 April to register for free rapid lateral flow coronavirus tests that can be done by employees at home.

* Taking part in a workplace research programme in conjunction with specialist behavioural science agency The Behaviouralist to test different behavioural-based interventions (or ‘nudges’) to see what impact they have on transmission rates. Here’s a downloadable fact sheet on the project – and if you’re interested in taking part, please email think_sandwell@sandwell.gov.uk.

* Reporting two or more cases of coronavirus in your workplace to PHCovid19_Enquiries@sandwell.gov.uk.

This slide from Friday’s webinar, among other tips such as reviewing your risk assessment, suggests you act as though everyone has Covid-19, which is sensible advice:

And of course, even as the restrictions ease, we must all continue staying local; meeting only with one other household outside, or in a group of no more than six; keeping a two-metre distance from others; wearing a face covering in indoor public spaces; washing hands regularly, and isolating and getting tested in the case of coronavirus symptoms.

> See all our coronavirus resources for Sandwell businesses.