Over 45,000 people in Leeds have been advised to shield since the start of the pandemic. This means they were advised to take extra precautions, not leave their homes, and to not let anybody from outside their household into their home, unless absolutely essential (such as for care needs). The people in the shielding group are the most clinically vulnerable, and are at a higher risk from Coronavirus.

To help you through this time, there is a range of support in place, both nationally and locally. This includes:

• priority delivery slots at supermarkets
• an assisted shopping scheme
• pharmacy delivery services.

To take advantage of this support it is important that people register. You can access information on shielding and how to register for support from the NHS and Leeds City Council websites. Unfortunately, only less than 50% of those advised to shield in Leeds have registered.

Registration & Advantages

Registration for support will close on 17 July 2020, and therefore we are doing one more push to encourage people to register for support.

The shielding programme is going to be paused on 1^st August, but that doesn’t mean all the support will be taken away.

One of the biggest advantages to registering is priority delivery slots at some of the major supermarkets. If people register before 17 July, their information will be shared with all of the biggest supermarkets, some of which have reserved specific delivery slots that will remain in place throughout the pandemic.

Another big advantage is that you can register to receive localised updates. It’s really important that people have access to reliable information. But under data protection laws, people have to proactively sign-up to receive information. Whilst it is not possible to predict the future of the pandemic in Leeds, it is widely accepted that Coronavirus will be with us for months to come.

Therefore it is really important that all local people have reliable information about the pandemic and how it impacts them and the services they use; this includes people on the shielding list. By registering for updates you can get the information that is most important to you, to support you through the next stages of the pandemic.

Download the Routes to Support In Leeds guide for more information.

Visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable or call 0800 028 8327 to register to confirm you are shielding.