Articles in Author: Ben Clark

Articles in Covid-19

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    About The Enquiries Project

    Ben Clark

    The BuDS Enquiries Team answers questions and queries from disabled people about a very wide range of issues. We try to fill the gaps left by other support services and helplines, so we often support disabled people with complex and difficult issues.

    Getting Help From The Enquiries Project

    Any disabled person in England can contact the Enquiries project for help. Parents, carers, and supporters can also contact us on behalf of a disabled person. We don’t have strict rules about who we can help: we will always do our best to support you and will let you know immediately if, for any reason, we can’t.

    The Enquiries project is staffed entirely by volunteers, many of them disabled people themselves. We are often very busy and there may be a delay in getting back to you. We are sorry about this, but we can only do so much. The Enquiries project is not a crisis or emergency service.

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    1 in 22 people in Bucks now infected. Covid Risk now CRITICALLY HIGH. Every week, 10,000 Bucks people have Covid. 14 infected People in Every Busy Supermarket.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 24 March 2023

    Ben Clark

    Covid infections in Bucks nearly doubled last week. The Covid risk has been raised to Critically High, with more people with Covid going into hospital.  

    This is the last risk post in this format, as the Government have deliberately closed the Office for National Statistics’ Coronavirus Infection Survey, which measures how many people have Covid in the UK. However, we will continue publishing risk assessments using other data – more on this next week.  

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    The statue of Justice atop the Old Bailey courthouse in London.

    What Is The Equality Act 2010?

    Ben Clark

    Overview

    People are legally protected from discrimination in the workplace and in larger society by the Equality Act of 2010. 

    The Equality Act 2010 replaced over 116 separate pieces of legislation with a simpler single piece of legislation. The 9 main pieces of legislation that were merged to create the new Act are: 

    • The Equal Pay Act 1970 
    • The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 
    • The Race Relations Act 1976 
    • The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 
    • The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
    • The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 
    • The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 
    • The Equality Act 2006, Part 2 
    • The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 
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    1 in 45 people in Bucks now infected. Covid Risk remains EXTREMELY HIGH. Every week, 10,000 Bucks people have Covid. 7 infected People in Every Busy Supermarket.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 17 March 2023

    Ben Clark

    Covid infections in Bucks remained constant last week. The Covid risk remains Extremely High, with more people with Covid going into hospital.

    The Government have made several changes recently to hide the true extent of Covid in the UK. One of these changes is that they are stopping the ONS Infection Survey, which is the most reliable way of finding out how many people have Covid in the UK. Because of this, next week’s risk post will be the last in this format. To find out more about these changes, and BuDS’ reaction to them, use the link below.

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    Changes To Disability Benefits – Budget 2022

    Ben Clark

    The Government have announced as part of their 2023 budget today (15 March) changes to the disability benefit system. BuDS is reading the press releases and papers carefully, and will update this page when we have a fuller understanding of what has been announced. Below, however, are the headlines from the Budget announcement.

    The Chancellor announced that the work capability assessment for benefits will be abolished, so that disabled people can seek work without worrying about losing their benefits. It was also announced that a new ‘Universal Support’ programme will be set up to help get disabled people into work, with up to £4000 being spent per person. More details to come on this.

    1 in 39 people in Bucks now infected. Covid Risk remains EXTREMELY HIGH. Every week, 10,000 Bucks people have Covid. 8 infected People in Every Busy Supermarket.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 10 March 2023

    Ben Clark

    Covid infections in Bucks increased last week, with no sign yet that the current wave has peaked. The Covid risk remains Extremely High. It is unclear whether the current wave, driven mainly by XBB variants, will continue to build.

    People are asking why we still issue Covid risk assessments when so many people have stopped taking notice of Covid. The reality is that over 10,000 people have Covid every week in Bucks, and their health is getting worse all the time. Nearly all doctors now believe that Covid causes serious long-term effects for many people who catch it, even if they are not very ill immediately. Covid is destroying the health of Buckinghamshire, one infection at a time.

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    Covid Pandemic – UK Government Officially Gives Up

    Ben Clark
    A hand holding a white flag on a short pole, seen against a blue sky background

    The Government have abandoned any attempt at controlling Covid in the UK. That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from their recent announcements about Covid vaccination and boosters.

    In background documents1 slipped out on 7th March during the high profile debate about asylum seekers, the Government have made some extraordinary statements and decisions:

    • Covid cannot be eliminated, and the population’s immunity to Covid is expected to reduce.
    • Because vaccines cannot stop the spread of Covid, or prevent non-severe illness, the Government have decided to abandon all future Covid vaccinations for the general public. Only those over 50 or clinically vulnerable groups will be offered primary vaccination in the future, and only at certain times.
    • Only people at the very highest clinical risk from Covid will be boosted in the future – not to protect their health, but to reduce demand on the NHS. Although this has not yet been confirmed, it appears that only over 75s, care home residents, and severely immunosuppressed people will be eligible for the Spring 2023 booster.
    • Catching Covid in hospital, when you are there for another reason, is almost inevitable and cannot be prevented by vaccination.

    Taken together, these decisions amount to the Government abandoning the people of the UK to a cycle of repeated Covid infections and illnesses.

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    1 in 43 people in Bucks now infected. Covid Risk remains EXTREMELY HIGH. Big jump in people in hospital with Covid. 7 infected People in Every Busy Supermarket.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 3 March 2023

    Ben Clark

    Covid infections in Bucks stayed roughly the same last week, with no sign yet that the current wave has peaked. The Covid risk remains Extremely High, and the number of people in hospital with Covid has jumped up by nearly a third.

    People are asking why we still issue Covid risk assessments when so many people have stopped taking notice of Covid. The reality is that over 10,000 people have Covid every week in Bucks, and their health is getting worse all the time. Nearly all doctors now believe that Covid causes serious long-term effects for many people who catch it, even if they are not very ill immediately. Covid is destroying the health of Buckinghamshire, one infection at a time.

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