Good Evening All

I will write this to the best of my knowledge...

Cases slightly dropped overall.... I will post the figures in the morning on my Twitter account @Mantego23, I will post todays figures.....

New Covid testing centre, that has opened today to cope with surge of cases in the north of Milton Keynes....

MK Council has announced an additional and temporary drive-thru Covid testing centre ,as opened up this week......

The centre will be in Soskin Drive, Stantonbury, close to Midsummer Vets and the Webber private school......

But it will only be open for 4 days over a 2 week period and users must have booked a test in advance, says the council.......

The centre was arranged by the councils, public health team following a rise in local ppl testing positive for Covid-19.......

Over the past two weeks 4,761 tests have been taken in Milton Keynes and 107 people have been confirmed positive.

Many of these new cases have been in the north of Milton Keynes. The new drive through centre as been set up on Soskin Drive in Stantonbury, in the hope that ppl in the area experiencing symptoms will seek a test.....

Public health experts are keen to track how the virus is being passed within communities, and particularly urge ppl living in postcodes starting MK13 and MK14 who have Covid-19 symptoms to be tested, this does not include us as we are not on these postcodes.....

However, the centre is not limited to ppl in these postcodes, and any MK residents with a new continuous cough, raised temperature or change in sense of smell or taste, should try to book a test on www.gov.uk or by calling 119.......

The new centre will only be open to ppl who have booked a test in advance. Given current limits on testing capacity, only ppl with symptoms should book a test......

It has opened today Wednesday 7th and Friday October 9th, and Wednesday 14th and Friday October 16th.....

Previously ppl have complained about how difficult it is to book a Covid test locally - even though the CMK drive through centre rarely seems to be full......

All 4 members of my family have had a Covid test but theirs were all negative......after developing symptoms such has a raised temperature and feeling lousy - but they had to get a test as advised by the GP for safety precautions.......

UK deaths and cases rise, amid claims local lockdowns are not working........

Local lockdown restrictions are not working, confusing and even counter-productive, leaders of northern cities have warned as the rate of covid cases almost doubled in a week.........

Latest coronavirus rates for North East local authorities......

Newcastle had the 5th-highest rate of Covid-19 per 100,000 in the country over the past week, the latest figures show...........

The figures below, for the 7 days to October 4th, are based on tests carried out in laboratories (pillar one of the Governments testing programme) and in the wider community (pillar two).........

From left to right, it reads: name of local authority; rate of new cases in the 7 days to October 4th; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the 7 days to October 4th; rate of new cases in the 7 days to September 27th; number (in brackets) of new cases recorded in the 7 days to September 27th..........

Newcastle upon Tyne 479.8 (1453), 298.9 (905)

Sunderland 285.6 (793), 215.7 (599)

South Tyneside 266.9 (403), 221.9 (335)

Gateshead 232.1 (469), 162.3 (328)

North Tyneside 226.5 (471), 156.3 (325)

County Durham 193.6 (1026), 110.5 (586)

Northumberland 177.4 (572), 170.6 (550)

Theres nothing inevitable about the loss of control of this virus. The Government promised us a world class test and trace system, but rather than building on tried and tested local options in local government, they pursued a big national private contract. It was a triumph for dogma at a time when when we need evidence-based leadership and of course it’s been a debacle.......

They had a chance to fix this at a time when infection rates were relatively low, but have failed to do so, and have now lost control of the virus entirely and our ppl will lose freedoms as a result of this, it is not fair the government needs to get the act together seriously........At the weekend there was a computer error failing not to record several positive tests...... Now numbers have doubled.....

It is striking that every one of them has been in the North or in the Midlands, so rather than levelling up we risk entrenching the North-South divide in this country..... I rest my case....

The infections in this country as super passed 500,000 now.......

Today was my first day going out for lunch, with my sister and my mum..... We were supposed to go to Brew Dog where our Carla is a Kitchen Manager. But our table was cancelled and missed the call and voicemail.... As we arrived at Brew Dog at lunch time then Carla said they are doing a clear out and cancelled some bookings and not reopening until 16:00 hours today, so Carla told us to try another restaurant nearby that our going walk in without table booked..... So we did Nandos in the end. It has changed the way u order and when u arrive using ur test and trace app, then u do ur order online with ur card details and table number it is so straight forward...... I felt safe .... it is just under 5 minutes from the shopping centre, we went to Nandos at the hub........I also decided to make a quick trip towards the town centre too busy for me, no one was walking the opposite way like they are meant too where it is arrowed........So I said forget that one.....

I plan to do most of our Christmas shopping online, and we will go Bletchley to get a few bits as it is a smaller shopping area with just a few shops..... The main centre is where all the big shops are and is very busy..... I am giving the centre a miss this year completely.....As I had to go bank today to bank some money - I saw how busy it were, so I needed to go to shopping centre for that.......Plus we have to wear a mask as it is an indoor shopping centre..........

Calls for extension to schools funding.....

Funding should be extended, to help schools cover costs incurred as a result of Covid........

And we are extremely grateful for the exceptional efforts of teachers, head teachers and other school staff have been making to support their pupils during this very challenging period. And we know that we have the professional knowledge, and expertise in our education system to ensure that pupils and students recover and get back on track.....

And to help them to do so, they are providing schools with the resources they need to get children back into the classroom safely, and protect a generation of pupils from the disruption caused to their education by this pandemic.......

All stay safe!



Love Hugs and Kisses

Karen Marie DCruz (Administrator) xx