Dear Community Member,

At The Armenian Community Council the health and safety of our community is our top priority.  With that in mind, we want to give you an insight into the steps we are taking, to be extra vigilant amid growing concerns around the actual and projected effects of COVID-19 Coronavirus.

Everyday our Council’s Divan is closely following the advice of the Public Health England and will recommend any operational changes to upcoming community events at the earliest opportunity.  As you will have heard in the news, The London Book Fair has been cancelled which has come as a blow to the participants and organising members of the Armenian Pavilion.  As an additional step we are monitoring our Council Members travel, ensuring that anyone who has visited an area of high risk is taking the recommended steps to protect those around them.

At the time of writing we have had no reported cases of Coronavirus amongst our community members.  As the coronavirus continues to spread globally, we are taking every precaution to play our part in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.  We encourage you to follow the steps below to help keep yourself and others around you healthy:

• We recommend washing your hands with soap and warm water, for at least 20 seconds.  Please refer to the following resources for further guidelines on personal protection NHS.
• Keep all equipment and space where the community meets as clean as possible.
• If you’re feeling unwell, please consider taking the time to rest/recuperate before returning to community activities.
• And finally, if you have travelled to any of the affected countries, outlined by the government, please follow the recommended guidelines.

We are committed to ongoing communication as the situation evolves, for further information please refer to the attached information sheet and the highlighted NHS & Government rolling updates links, provided by the Armenian Medical Association (AMAGB).

Thank you for your support and commitment to the health and wellbeing of our community.

ACC UK

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China.

As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms of coronavirus include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

General advice

The following is general advice for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in a bin and wash hands with soap and water.
• Wash your hands often with soap and running hot water. Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

 Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces at home and work environment.

 As the information and advice regarding Coronavirus is rapidly changing with frequently updated from Public Health England and department of health and social care, please refer to the NHS website for specific information and up-to-date advice

IMPORTANT – NHS & Government Rolling Updates Links:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

Prepared by:

Dr Seda Boghossian-Tighe, MBChB, MSc, PhD, DFFP, MRCPath[1] DipDem.

General Practitioner, NWS Clinical Commissioning Group.

Former Tropical and infectious Diseases and Haematoimmunologist.

Chairwoman AMAGB 

Dr Minas Minasian, MBChB , MSc, FRCPath.

Consultant Microbiologists . Senior Member AMAGB