The Scottish Government has outlined what the first phase of the reopening will entail.
This includes changes in guidance to allow for the planning of schools returning and the gradual resumption of key support services in the community subject to appropriate physical distancing and hygiene measures.
The following information is courtesy of Aberdeen City Council.
Local authorities, Police Scotland and other bodies have a central role to play in the implementing of the easing of restrictions and local authorities are central to the reopening planning and consultation process.
This will continue during the four phases of easing the lockdown but with a move from rules and regulations and enforcement to a more consensual approach with the public being asked to respect guidance.
Enforcement measures will remain and the focus of Trading Standards and Environmental Health officers will be on restrictions on those businesses that cannot yet open and physical distancing measures for those that can.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) remains the regulator for premises including manufacturing, construction, waste and sites subject to major hazards legislation.
Inquiries about working safely to protect people from Covid-19 at work can be raised with HSE.
Councils are the main regulator for retail, wholesale distribution and warehousing, hotel and catering premises, offices, and the consumer/leisure industries, including the requirements of physical distancing on these premises.
If you have concerns about a business in Aberdeen is not complying with the regulations, including physical distancing, you can report your concerns online via the relevant councils website.
Police Scotland has sole responsibility under the regulations for dealing with restrictions on movement and public gatherings not associated with the operation of a business.
All businesses and services must take all reasonable measures to ensure:
For retail business, breaches would include a failure to maintain one or more of the measures outline above. A business which opens despite being specifically prohibited from doing so by the regulations would also be a breach.
If you have concerns about a business in Aberdeen that is not complying with physical distancing as detailed above, you can report your concern here.
If the business is located in Aberdeenshire, you can report them here.
Hazlehead, Bucksburn, and Tullos Household Waste and Recycling Centres will operate from Monday on normal summer opening hours, from 10am to 7.45pm from Monday to Friday and from 9am to 7.45pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Tullos site will however be closed on Wednesdays.
Always check the Council website for the latest information before travelling to a recycling centre.
Sites will only open where it is considered safe to do so. It is not considered safe to open the site at Bridge of Don at this time. Demand is expected to be high when the sites first open, with queues likely, and the Bridge of Don site is accessed directly off busy main road where extensive queuing could be hazardous.
Dyce recycling centre is now close permanently as agreed at the Councils budget meeting in March.
To adhere with physical distancing rules, there are a number of changes to the way the sites operate:
Only one person per vehicle is permitted unless you are a blue badge holder and then you can bring a passenger to unload your waste if required.
As staff cannot help you unload please only bring to site what one person can safely carry.
No. Large vans or trailers are not permitted for now. The sites are expected to be busy when they reopen and banning larger vehicles will allow more vehicles to access the sites.
No, pedestrian access is not permitted at any time.
No. This is to ensure that physical distancing measures are observed. Visitors are asked only to bring what they can safely deposit in the skips themselves. If for any reason you need to speak to staff during your visit, please wave to get their attention and keep 2m distance at all times.
The range of materials accepted at the site at this time is restricted to household general waste, non-electrical bulky waste, garden waste and cardboard. No other materials are being accepted at this time.
The range of materials accepted at the sites is reduced to accommodate physical distancing measures on-site and help reduce queueing traffic by minimising visiting times and maximising the number of vehicles through the sites.
There are disposal outlets for other recyclables either via the kerbside collection and/or local Recycling Points at supermarkets, shopping centres and other convenient community locations.
You should keep them for now. Store them safely at home until they are accepted at the recycling centres.
No. White goods (e.g. washing machines, fridges etc) are not accepted just now. Check if your electrical goods supplier will remove and recycle your old item when they deliver your new one. Many do, although they may charge a fee. Alternatively, you could book a bulky uplift.
Do not bring waste at any time which has been used when Coronavirus symptoms have been present i.e. used tissues, wipes etc. This should be kept separately, double bagged and left for 72 hours before placing in your household bin.
No, commercial waste cannot be disposed of at Household Waste Recycling Centres at any time. This is a breach of the site licence and it must be disposed of via a licensed waste operator/site.
Due to the restrictions imposed during the Coronavirus crisis we are unable to say when or if sites will open normally as they used to. We will continue to review the situation in line with Government guidance and work to ensure that our sites are operating as fully as possible within the safety guidelines that are required to keep staff and site users safe.
In line with the Scottish Governments announcement and in common with all local Scottish authorities, we anticipate schools in Aberdeen will re-open on 11 August 2020.
We await guidance from the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers in order to confirm our arrangements.
This is not a decision that Aberdeen City Council can take in isolation but in consultation with the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers following the receipt of guidance from the Scottish Teachers Negotiating Committee.
We cannot speculate on that and cannot comment until negotiations are concluded and a way forward agreed. Information will be shared with staff as soon as it is available.
No, the Scottish Government is taking a different approach to learning and ask that we deliver a blended model of teaching a mixture of part-time study in school and learning at home.
Physical distancing will still need to be observed. It is likely that the curriculum and timetables will be slightly different.
Class sizes will be significantly smaller in order to accommodate physical distancing. Pupils will spend some of their time in class and some of their time learning at home. Time in school will gradually increase as soon as it is safe to do so and in line with Scottish Government guidance.
For example, some children could attend on alternate days, mornings only or may have set day and times to attend over the week. The service is currently exploring what this will look like in individual schools and will be sharing plans with parents, carers and children and young people as soon as they are able to.
Schools will implement physical distancing measures. For example, staggered arrivals, departures and break times and providing classroom seating that takes 2 metre distancing into account.
The service is currently determining the capacity of each school and will only be able to take decisions on spaces used for delivering in school learning when this has been done.
We are currently in the process of determining how many teachers will be in a position to deliver in school learning. Some staff may continue to deliver in home learning if they are shielding and cannot attend school buildings.
Aberdeen schools and teachers have already been innovative in using home learning during lockdown via online tools such as Google Classroom and this will continue in supporting the blended model. We have ensured that children without home wi-fi access have received laptops and dongles so that they can also participate.
Our aim is always to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged and that will continue to be the case.
Staff will carefully consider the aspects of curricular areas being taught to ensure physical distancing. This may lead to changes in the order of courses.
Staff will carefully consider their plans to ensure that in school learning doesnt put any child or young person at risk.
Colleagues are currently considering the implications of physical distancing measures on toilets and changing rooms.
All schools will develop a school specific plan which will be shared with parents and carers. Plans will include the rationale for decisions being taken.
Teachers will have a vital role in ensuring that schools are ready from day one of re-opening. This includes curriculum setting, setting lessons, agreeing how best to structure the blended approach and rotas.
There will also be a requirement for training given that we are in unprecedented circumstances with regard to teaching with physical distancing requirements.
Individual risk assessments will be completed to help us plan for children and young people with the most complex needs.
Given the delays to the ELC Expansion capital programme, and the need for physical distancing arrangements, we will not be in a position to deliver 1,140 hours this year. The Early Years team will be contacting families in the near future.
In the meantime, we still aim to maintain our statutory requirement to deliver 600 hours per year where possible.
We are currently reviewing our Emergency Childcare and Hub provision to attempt to continue to deliver a service which enables children to access their in school learning.
We are working closely with colleagues from across the Council and transport providers to explore restrictions fully.
We will advise families of any changes necessary as soon as we are clearer on the impact of physical distancing arrangements on transport.
Schools are currently using Local Authority guidance to deliver transition support. Individual schools will contact families if there are any changes to their transition programme.
In the first instance it is likely that children and young people in school over lunchtime will be asked to bring a packed lunch. Free school meal vouchers, which can be used at supermarkets, will continue to be provided.
The SQA have advised that they intend to run the exam diet next year. We will continue to be guided by SQA.
No. That is planned for later phases of the route map.
Park toilets are to remain closed to the public. Toilets will be open when it is safe to do so and in accordance with government guidance.
From 8am on May 29.
There are many benches across our green spaces and there are no current plans to stop the public using them subject to the public adhering to the national guidance on physical distancing.
These benches may be welcomed by some members of the public who require to rest during their walks, exercise etc
Yes. Along with grass cutting, the tree squad, mechanical street sweeping and manual litter picking, invasive weed spraying and the Countryside Rangers team are set to start back to work.
The public will be expected to respect physical distancing rules. All work starting back will be one-person operations i.e. ride on mowers, mechanical sweeping and litter picking.
Services and tasks have been risk assessed and changes have been made to depot layouts etc to ensure physical distancing and safety of staff as per government guidelines.
Grass cutting was not seen as a critical service and has been stood down for the last 10 weeks in the interests of public safety. Grass cutting and some grounds maintenance will begin on Monday morning at multiple locations with services being rolled out across the city over the course of the week. Parks, open spaces, cemeteries and road verges will take priority.
Our priority will be the areas that are being well used by the public for exercising and where we want to ensure accessible open spaces. We also want to ensure that our cemeteries are cut. The initial start back and the first cut will take much longer than usual. It may be that this year some areas cannot be cut.
We aim to start back with the house garden maintenance programme. We will look to undertake as many cuts as we can before the end of the season.
To manage travel demandand adherence to physical distancing,the Council is to roll out temporary measures for city streets to allow people to walk, cycle, and queue for buses and shopping.
Measures are being designed to support the NHS guidance on physical distancing and include pedestrianisation, pavement widening, temporary bike lanes, and one-way walking systems, andwork will start on installing measures in next few days.
No the Council will not be re-opening all of their buildings in phase 1. The process of re-opening buildings is under review to consider various issues including physical distancing, government guidance and the wellbeing of staff and customers.
There will inevitably be delays to the completion of construction works due to the pandemic.
We will not know the impact of the lockdown until our contractors are able to assess their works, the impact of the lockdown and the working constraints related to maintaining physical distancing to carry out work tasks.
Continue reading here:
What happens now Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have entered phase one? - Aberdeen Evening Express
