IBC Coronavirus Update - 24 March 2020

Published24th March 2020

Ipswich Borough Council’s current position is as follows:

Clearly the statement by the Prime Minister last night has significantly changed life in the UK. The Borough Council has already introduced extensive changes to what it does and how it operates in response to the challenges of Coronavirus. However, following the announcement last night the following additional measures have been taken:

  1. Ipswich Market: Only our four food stalls will be permitted to operate at Ipswich Market from today and until further notice. The Council has spread them across Princes Street to protect traders and shoppers. No other (non-food) traders are permitted to operate. Two-metre markings have been made on the ground to assist shoppers, who are advised that the market could cease to operate if social distancing instructions are not adhered to.
  2. Play Areas etc in Parks. The Council has closed all play areas, outdoor gyms, kiosks and courts in its parks and open spaces. This has been done where possible by locking gates but in some cases through signage.
  3. The Executive meeting scheduled to be held today (24th March 2020) has been cancelled.

In addition, during the course of the rest of the day, the Council will:

  1. Further limit repairs to our Council Housing stock to absolutely essential items only until further notice
  2. Further limit numbers at our Grafton House headquarters, although numbers have already been reduced to about 50 people per day (all practising social distancing). This is approximately 10% of the numbers who normally work out of the Council’s space in Grafton House each day.

The above 5 measures are in addition to those announced by the Council on 20th March 2020.

The Borough Council intends to issue a full updated summary position every Friday while communicating more regularly about individual issues and services.

If you wish to contact the Council about anything please contact us via www.ipswich.gov.uk or 01473 432000 rather than visit Grafton House or the Customer Services Centre.