Coronavirus in Portsmouth: Hampshire declares Covid-19 a 'major incident' triggering 'well-rehearsed plans'

Senior officials in Hampshire have declared a major incident in dealing with the coronavirus, the county's chief constable has said.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Hampshire police's Olivia Pinkney, chair of the Local Resilience Forum, made up of emergency services and councils in the area.

Yesterday in a statement Mrs Pinkney said: ‘As part of our regular review of the ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Local Resilience Forum (HIOW LRF) has now declared the coronavirus outbreak a major incident.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We have already been providing a multi-agency response for a number of weeks and the declaration of a major incident simply means we move to the next phase of our well-rehearsed plans.

Hampshire chief constable Olivia Pinkney. Picture: Sarah Standing (160563-495)Hampshire chief constable Olivia Pinkney. Picture: Sarah Standing (160563-495)
Hampshire chief constable Olivia Pinkney. Picture: Sarah Standing (160563-495)

‘This ensures all partners, which includes all the emergency services, can use joint working arrangements to effectively manage, and where possible minimise, the impact of the virus on our population during these unprecedented times.

‘The HIOW LRF comprises the public sector partners in Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight.’

It comes as a charity that works with agencies across the county has vowed to support elderly and vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic – but it needs volunteers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Community First is calling on kindhearted people to join its volunteering ranks to help support groups in need as measures rolled out to limit the spread of Covid-19 continue to disrupt day-to-day living.

Tim Houghton, Community First’s chief executive, said: ‘We are working with a wide range of agencies and groups to ensure that elderly and vulnerable embers of our communities are supported at this difficult time.

‘If you are worried about a neighbour, friend or isolated relative we can signpost you to the local community support that’s available’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The charity is also calling on coordinators of existing volunteer groups to get in touch to maximise the efforts of its network.

Its transport, Shopmobility and Wellbeing Service will continue during the crisis and anyone who needs support or advice can email [email protected]

To become a volunteer, go to volunteerwessex.org