A recovery action plan is being drawn up by the Isle of Wight Council specifically tailored to protect residents and help the Island’s economy bounce back as lockdown restrictions are eased.
The council has pledged to work closely with the local community and businesses to form a bespoke strategy capable of securing an effective and long-lasting economic recovery — while at the same time keeping Islanders ‘COVID-secure’.
Council leader Dave Stewart has said:
“Since the start of the pandemic, our work has focused on protecting the local community and minimising the impact of coronavirus on the Island’s social and economic wellbeing.
“We have worked hard to maintain critical services to support the most vulnerable in our community, delivering statutory services and assisting our business community to ‘survive’ the pandemic.
“Now we can look at how we ‘restart’ Island life, socially and economically, based around the concept of social distancing.
“We can’t stay in lockdown forever and we need to find the right route to letting people live their lives at the same time as controlling and limiting the spread of the virus.
“The underpinning requirement of the recovery plan will be that it keeps people safe as well as helping to bring our economy alive.”
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With shops slowly starting to reopen and more people returning to work, the council is working on a package of temporary measures to ensure people are able to safely access town centre shops and businesses. Immediate priority will be given to the Island’s busiest shopping areas to ensure there is sufficient space for social distancing, such as queuing at shops and bus stops.
The authority is also offering advice and guidance to businesses to ensure they are practising social distancing inside and immediately outside their premises when they reopen.
The town centre plans are only the first phase of the introduction of wider measures to be developed in partnership with local communities and town and parish councils to support safe and active travel as the Island gets moving again after lockdown.
As the council moves through the response and recovery planning phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, it also needs to consider how it will both recover, restart and reset its own services in the face of a potential £9 million black hole in its finances.
The recovery plan maps out the 3-stages to recovery, the first phase of which includes:
• Continuing to support care homes in the current pandemic emergency — the council’s Care Home Support Plan was published last week
• Developing of testing and contact tracing arrangements to support the NHS Covid-19 app
• Preparations for the phased reopening of Island schools which began on 1st June
• Managing any increase in visitors to the Island as restrictions are eased
• Accelerating and enhancing the Island’s Mental Health Plan with a specific response to COVID-19
• Reviewing housing support services to tackle the increase in homelessness
• Developing funding bids to further improve cycling and walking.
Councillor Stewart added:
“Our job as the council is to develop a pathway back and to ensure as we do so that the most vulnerable continue to be supported and protected.
“A key part of recovery will be that everyone continues to take personal responsibility for their actions. This will help us to continue controlling the spread of the virus and allow us to return to something of the life we knew before.
“One of the most impressive elements of the response to the virus here on the Island has been the support and help provided by our many Island volunteer groups.
“I can’t thank them enough for all they have done and will do as we take our first steps to recovery. I see this as an opportunity to harness community energy as we develop our recovery plan.”
The recovery of the economy, will take decades and it may never recover. Why? Because of the bs social distancing! If businesses have to spent hundreds if not thousands of pounds, to made their shop or business so called safe, but only allow limited people in at a time? Then the economy won’t recover and will probably collapse. As for the consumer like myself? Why would I queue outside a place like B&q , told must have trolley, even if I just want 1 item, then follow the one way system round keeping social distancing, etc etc. Iike a child? When I just open my phone and bing go, it’s delivered. Pubs ,clubs ,sit in food establishments, they will be all but finished.! All down to social distancing!! Well done everybody , hope your proud!
I’d rather social distance and be alive, I don’t need retail or restaurants to survive CV19.
One step worse than social distancing: having to wear a face mask in all shops and on buses and trains. Especially for the elderly and for people who wear glasses, wearing a mask can be a very uncomfortable if not frightening experience. After about ten minutes under this thing, I start feeling sick and have to run out to be able to breathe normally again. And if you wear glasses, every time you breathe out, they go foggy. So I dash through a shop, grab the necessities and go outside again as quickly as possible. No wonder all the shops over here – and they`re all open – are complaining about much too low turnover in sales.
Then don’t go out you silly woman. Have things delivered. Or are you one of the
moaning minies complaing about the noise from the cruise ships in Sandown Bay. DISCUSS…..
Stupid woman, get things delivered online.if it’s making you sick or your glasses are steaming up.This isn’t going to last forever. So bite the bullet live it its saving lives………DISCUSS
Last forever? This is your new norm,and you can’t even see it.
• Managing any increase in visitors to the Island as restrictions are eased – simple stop them coming until it is properly safe to do so, but then again as the council have started parking charges again, I guess it’s “we don’t care, we want your money”
Dont you understand? There will be nothing left to come over too! As you can see but my last post ,the economy ,I feel is on its knees, and shops pubs clubs ,restaurants, will all soon be closed,for good. Do you think that once the virus is under control everything will go back to normal? It wont,this crap we have now will be normal!
I think your perhaps suffering from self-importance, I lived on the Island and have known there is little to come over for for a few years, CV19 will just mail the coffin lid in the closed position. Which for all the tourist reliant jobs/income is a real shame. There is no Justice in all that is happening today.
Oh I understand very much… So we Islanders are not bringing in enough money to keep things going, I went back to work on the 1st and things are going just great. Just needs a bit more work from management and their staff to get it right.
Great that you are able to work but many others aren’t so lucky.
My wife should be working in a hotel at the moment but instead she’s sitting at home with no money coming in hoping the the hotel she works for doesn’t go bust.
no amount of creative management can create money out of thin air for seasonal businesses who may see no income at all this year.
Yes, it’ll bounce back you silly man. Tourists have been coming to visit us for 100 years and more. We are talking a few months to preserve lives. Get real…
I much prefer to shop for things than order online and hope it is as good as the picture, so i’m praying that all the shops, pubs. restaurants do not shut for good.
If i have to wear a mask into shops, i will, even with glasses, i have tried several different ones and not that comfortable and hot!
They will shut, because of people like you! Watching the bbc ,governments brainwashing tool, believing the main stream media. All lies,so get use to ordering on line,cause that’s what will be left.
Crap. Mr bloody Justice.
Let’s wait and see shall we, I haven’t been wrong yet!
How dense are these people? Thousands of people’s lives depends on tourism,the island’s economy,is tourism. You gungadin,say I’m self importance, you are plain selfish!!
You are self egotistical
No I’m realistic! Your a fool!
Better a mask than Dead. Stupid!!!
God your dumb! If you bothered to do some research instead of being spoon fed bs you would see the mask with cause you most health issues then without, but I guess your to dumb to find out.
I were a face mask to protect other people (mr justice) not my self. its called not being Selfish. or r u just thinking about yourself.