Latest information – UPDATED 28th March 2020
This page has been set up to provide information for current and future staff and residents at LHA with questions or concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19). It will be updated on a regular basis.
The health, welfare and safety of residents and staff is the number one priority for LHA London Ltd.
LHA has a strong history of welcoming international residents and staff to the UK, and they are an integral part of our international community.
We understand that residents and staff may be worried about friends and family members, and our thoughts go to all those affected by this outbreak.
We ask that residents and staff support their fellow friends and colleagues at this difficult time. Harassment and discrimination of any kind, including racial harassment, are totally unacceptable at any of our hostels.
Any instances of harassment should be reported immediately to staff.
The UK government published its Coronavirus Action Plan on the 3rd March 2020 outlining the response plan phases of Contain, Delay, Research, Mitigate. As of the 12th March 2020 Public Health England advised the move to the delay phase – slow the spread in this country, lowering the peak impact and pushing it away from the winter season.
The government introduced measures on 16th March 2020 which centre around social distancing for everyone in the UK and protecting older people and vulnerable adults. You can read the full guidance here.
On the 20th March 2020 the government introduced further measures when it announced the forced closure of entertainment and hospitality premises along with financial support measures being put in place to support individuals impacted by the crisis.
UK Lockdown
On Monday 23rd March 2020 the UK government introduced ‘lockdown’ measure across the UK aimed at slowing the spread of COVID 19.
For information on why it is important to follow these measures please watch this short video:
Please visit the NHS website for full information about coronavirus, including answers to common questions.
Keeping Safe and Well
Information is being updated daily at 2pm on the Government website. Please check regularly for changes.
What is the current risk to the UK from coronavirus?
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak of a pandemic and the risk to the UK public has risen from moderate to high. The Government is now advising more stringent measures to slow the spread of the virus, reduce pressure on the NHS and protect the most vulnerable.
Key Points:
Staying at home and away from others
If you leave your home or gather in public for any reason other than those specified, the police may:
- instruct you to go home, leave an area or disperse
- instruct you to take steps to stop your children breaking these rules if they have already done so
- take you home – or arrest you – if you do not follow their instructions or where they deem it necessary
The police will act with discretion and common sense in applying these measures and we expect the public to act responsibly, staying at home in order to save lives.
However, if the police believe that you have broken these rules – or if you refuse to follow their instructions – a police officer may issue you with a fixed penalty notice for £60 (reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days). If you have already received a fixed penalty notice, the amount will increase to £120 and double on each further repeat offence.
Protecting Older People and Vulnerable Adults
Those who are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19) are advised to be particularly stringent in following social distancing measures.
This group includes those who are:
- aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
- under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (ie anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
- chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
- chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
- chronic kidney disease
- chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
- chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
- diabetes
- problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
- a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
- being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
- those who are pregnant
Self Isolating
The main messages are:
- if you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started. See ending isolation section for more information
- if you live with others and you are the first in the household to have symptoms of coronavirus, then you must stay at home for 7 days, but all other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill
- for anyone else in the household who starts displaying symptoms, they need to stay at home for 7 days from when the symptoms appeared, regardless of what day they are on in the original 14-day isolation period. See ending isolation section for more information
it is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
What is LHA London doing about coronavirus?
LHA is acting on advice from sources including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, World Health Organisation, the NHS and Public Health England. We have taken proactive steps to contact our residents and staff to ensure that everyone has access to the latest advice. We are monitoring the situation closely, have made plans to act quickly if the situation changes and will provide further updates as necessary.
Are hostels open and operating as usual?
We understand that staff, residents and their families are justifiably concerned about the coronavirus. LHA continues to monitor and adapt our operations in line with the advice being provided by the UK Government.
In line with the most recent measures announced LHA will be making the following adjustments to its operations:
- Receptions will be staffed but security windows will remain closed and we would ask that wherever possible residents use either phone or email for all but emergency communication with the team. During these period accommodation charge payments will be processed over the phone.
- We ask that residents respect the social distancing measures within our self-catered sites by not having more than two people in our kitchens and wherever possible aim for single use.
- When residents are moving around our sites we ask they respect the 2 metre distancing rule.
- Our catered sites will move to take away service only (i.e we will be asking residents to eat meals in their rooms) and limiting the number of people in our dining rooms collecting meals/queueing.
- We will continue to maintain our buildings on an emergency works only basis and would like to ask residents to bear with us on non-emergency repair works.
- We will need to start to ask residents not using us as their primary residence to make plans to return to their primary residence.
We will be asking residents who do not abide by the UK governments guidance to seek alternative accommodation.
Staff have been briefed to direct residents to this web page for the latest information and we are requesting details from our older and vulnerable residents so we can support them in following the governments advice.
We have exhausted available supplies of hand sanitiser and so are advising staff and residents to wash hands regularly for at least 20 seconds as per this NHS video especially on arrival at the hostel.
We have robust plans in place to support the need for existing residents in our properties.
We are adapting our meal operations in our catered sites in line with the social distancing guidance and have relaxed our rules on eating in bedrooms which we now actively encourage through an in house take away service.
We have closed our gyms in the hostels that have them in line with government advice.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and we will continue to provide as much advice, care and support as we can to our staff and residents.
Supporting Our Residents, Employees and Volunteers
In these uncertain times, we want to thank all our residents, staff, maintenance teams and volunteers who continue to work to keep people safe and well.
At the same time, we urge everyone to follow the crucial advice being given. This includes abiding by the ‘lockdown’ protocols, observing social distancing, washing hands regularly and looking after the most vulnerable.
If you are one of our younger residents, and believe this doesn’t affect you, please consider the other people around you who may be considered high risk and more vulnerable to catching the virus.
If you are considered higher risk and have not self-isolated, please talk to our onsite teams who will assist you.
Employment and Financial Hardship
We recognise several of our residents have already lost their jobs and have been financially affected by this crisis. We will continue to review the government’s support measures as more information becomes available. Anyone struggling to pay their accommodation charges should contact customerservices@lhalondon.com
Open for Business
We want to reassure both residents and staff that we currently have no plans to close down any or our central London properties. However, we may take the decision to amalgamate properties should this become the necessary course of action to keep residents and staff safe and well. We have taken the difficult decision to temporarily close our hostel in Hounslow and are now working through the redistribution of staff and volunteers to other locations.
It is imperative that we take care of each other and the communities we work in.
The latest advice from the UK government is updated at 2pm every day and can be found here.
Advice for residents and staff in the UK
How do I keep updated about the latest information regarding Covid-19 (coronavirus)?
As this is a rapidly evolving situation we are asking you to check this page regularly to keep informed of the latest advice. You may also find the following sites useful:
Do I need to take any precautionary measures?
At this time of year, viral respiratory infections such as colds and influenza are very common in the community within the UK, and if residents or staff develop viral symptoms they should manage these as they usually would.
The recommended steps people should take to protect themselves are the same as those to avoid flu and any other similar respiratory infections. You should maintain good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene.
Everyday measures everyone can take
- Washing your hands regularly – with soap and water, or use alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available – especially after taking public transport;
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin;
- If you feel unwell, stay at home;
- Avoid close contact with people who are unwell;
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces;
- Don’t touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Residents, staff and visitors should wash their hands:
- before leaving their room
- on arrival at the hostel
- after using the toilet
- after breaks and sporting activities
- before food preparation
- before eating any food, including snacks
- before leaving the hostel.
The NHS has a video explaining the best way to wash your hands.
The latest advice is asking anyone who shows certain symptoms to self-isolate for 7 days, regardless of whether they have traveled to affected areas. This means they are advising people to stay at home and avoid all but essential contact with others for 7 days from the point of displaying mild symptoms, to slow the spread of infection.
The symptoms are: * A high temperature (37.8 degrees and above) * A new, continuous cough
Furthermore where someone is part of a household the advice is that the entire household self isolate for a full 14 days to allow everyone the opportunity to display symptoms.
Anyone needing to self isolate should follow the advice here.
How would I know if I’ve got the coronavirus?
The following symptoms may develop, after exposure to someone who has coronavirus (COVID-19):
- A cough
- Difficulty in breathing
- High Temperature
But these symptoms do not necessarily mean someone has the virus. They are similar to symptoms of colds, flu and other viruses. Unless staff or residents have reason to believe they may have been exposed to the coronavirus, they should manage these symptoms as they usually would. See the latest advice on the NHS website.
How do you catch coronavirus?
COVID-19 is a new virus and, according to the NHS, we do not know exactly how it spreads from person to person.
The most likely means of transmission are droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Infections are generally be spread by:
- Secretions from the mouths or noses of people who are nearby (within two metres) or could be inhaled into the lungs.
- Touching a surface that has been contaminated with respiratory secretions and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes (such as a door knob or shaking hands then touching own face).
It is currently unclear whether people who do not have symptoms are infectious to others, but this is not believed to be a big risk.
See above for precautionary measures you can take to help stop the virus from spreading.
IMPACT ON RESIDENTS AND STAFF
I’m a resident, and I’m concerned I may have coronavirus. What do I need to do?
If you have developed either a new continuous cough or high temperature/fever (37.8 degrees centigrade) you should self isolate for seven days from when your symptoms started. Where you are in a shared room you will need to self-isolate for fourteen days as will your room mates.
You do not need to contact NHS 111 to take the decision to self isolate.
If you have taken the decision to self isolate, please contact your hostel reception in the first instance (by email) so they can advise and support the requirements of your self isolation. You’ll find COVID-19 self-isolation guidance here.
If your symptoms worsen to the point you can’t carry out normal daily activity such as use your mobile phone or get out of bed you should call NHS 111 and speak to a nurse.
Please contact the reception team straight away if your symptoms worsen or you are advised you will be moved to hospital or tested for COVID 19.
I am a staff member, and I’m concerned I might have coronavirus. What do I need to do?
If you have developed either a new continuous cough or high temperature/fever (37.8 degrees centigrade) you should self isolate for seven days from when your symptoms started. If you are part of a household your entire household should self isolate for fourteen days.
You do not need to contact NHS 111 to take the decision to self isolate
If you have taken the decision to self isolate please contact your line manager/supervisor in the first instance (by email) so they can advise and support the requirements of your self isolation. You’ll find stay at home guidance here.
If your symptoms worsen to the point you can’t carry out normal daily activity such as use your mobile phone or get out of bed you should call NHS 111 and speak to a nurse.
Please contact the reception team straight away if your symptoms worsen or you are advised you will be moved to hospital or tested for COVID 19.
If you are diagnosed with a positive test for coronavirus, email your line manager and Head of Department. We expect the local Public Health England team to contact us separately to tell us what to do about any residents or colleagues you have been in contact with.
What should I do if I believe I am particularly vulnerable?
We understand you may be concerned if you feel you are more vulnerable to the coronavirus than others (for example if you have a specific health condition, or have vulnerable family members). Public Health England defines underlying conditions as people with weakened immune systems and those with long-term conditions such as diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. If you are worried, members of staff and residents should speak to their medical provider in the first instance, LHA will support you as much as possible, based on any specific advice you have received from medical professionals, as well as general public health guidance. Current advice highlights that those individuals who are either elderly or have underlying health conditions (or both) are particularly at risk should they come into contact with COVID-19. Since LHA has a number of residents that fall into this category, we have had initial conversations with these people to assess their needs.
If you are a resident and believe you fall into one of the high-risk groups (and haven’t yet been spoken to by LHA), please contact your onsite team in the first instance.
For detailed guidance please visit this web page.
I’ve received a letter or text from the NHS telling me I must Self Isolate for 12 weeks, what do I do?
Please contact the onsite team straight away so we can complete your personal self-isolation plan.
I’m young and not at risk why am I being asked to self-isolate?
We ask that not only do all residents keep themselves safe and well during these challenging times but also think about the impact their actions could have on other residents. We have a number of residents who may be at risk should they come into contact with CoVID 19 and so will insist government advice is followed wherever possible.
I’ve lost my job and/or lost income and I don’t know how I’m going to pay my accommodation charges what do I do?
Please don’t panic, as the government support measures become clearer we will work with those residents who find themselves suffering financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak to agree appropriate payment plans. Please check here for what support may already be available to you.
