Column by the leader of South Gloucestershire Council, Toby Savage.

You may have seen in the media that shielding for those who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 paused last Saturday (August 1st). While this news will be welcome to many, some may also understandably feel anxious. I want to reassure you that support is still there for those who were shielding.

Our Shielding Support team is still here to answer queries and our One You South Glos team continues to offer help, support and information online and over the phone. Our Community Meals service, which provides a two-course, hot, nutritious meal 365 days a year, has availability too for anyone who has shielded.

Our Welfare team administers Welfare Grants as part of our Local Welfare Provision Scheme – helping those who are facing a crisis or emergency situation.

Local voluntary groups have been crucial in helping us all get through the past few months and many of them are committed to carrying on providing help to local people. Our website includes a list of local groups, the support they can provide and their contact details.

Your GP and pharmacy will also be able to continue to arrange for prescription medication to be delivered to your home if you are unable to go out because of ill health. While the nationally-arranged food parcel deliveries and dietary-requirement packages have stopped, if you’ve been shielding you can still access priority slots for online supermarket deliveries and Click & Collect.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts so far, there is a lower risk of contracting the virus in the community. But there’s still some risk. So it’s important that those of you who have shielded still practice social distancing and limit contacts with others where possible. Please remember that you’re not alone with this - we’re here to help you.

How to get help: If you have access to the internet, our website is updated with the latest guidance and information, at southglos.gov.uk/coronavirus. You can also access our One You South Glos team oneyou.southglos.gov.uk You can email our Shielding Support team at community.shielding@southglos.gov.uk If you do not have access to the internet, please call us on 0800 953 7778.