Mutual Aid groups are being established across the country, with further details available here. These are grassroots organisations, affiliated neither to charities, political movements nor government, which seek to help the local community and those most vulnerable.
They can assist with tasks such as getting shopping for those unable to leave their homes, picking up vital medication or even just a friendly phonecall. If you think you can safely volunteer or if you know someone who might need help during this time, the following is a list of groups currently active in Islington as of 17/03/2020:
Islington Mutual Aid, working across the borough as a whole: https://www.facebook.com/groups/926599381108201/
The People’s Army Islington, working across the borough as a whole: https://twitter.com/peoplesarmyldn
Islington Council has information available linking to both national guidance, and has pledged to update local information too for both businesses and residents: https://www.islington.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/coronavirus-in-the-uk-how-to-reduce-your-risk
Islington Foodbank has taken the difficult decision to close its doors on March 23rd. However their affiliated website Bankeut will remain running to donate food to the most vulnerable families.
The Department of Work and Pensions has issued the following advice for employees concerned about self-isolation, including what support is available.
A lot of false claims about Covid-19 are circulating, fuelling anxiety. To help people through stress, the NHS recommends its Every Mind Matters site for advice on anxiety and mental wellbeing. Elsewhere, FullFact is an independent fact-checking charity and debunks many of the more alarming or dubious claims here. There is also a datapack from the data visualisation team at Information Is Beautiful with clear information that is being regularly updated.
It’s also just been announced that schools will now be closed from Friday. We will aim to keep updating this site with useful local information, whenever we can.
