Dear Friends,

We hope that you are keeping well through these challenging times and wanted to thank you for following the Government’s social distancing rules.

Ramadan is a time when Muslim families connect with loved ones, self-reflect and spread kindness. The current pandemic has dramatically changed how people observe the holy month, and staying at home will mean changing and adapting usual religious and cultural practices. Working together in Barnet and across the country, we have managed to reduce the spread of infection and we just need to continue practicing social distancing for longer now to protect those most vulnerable and elderly in our communities.

We fully appreciate that it’ll be hard to stay at home, not sharing evening meals with extended family and friends or not attending places of worship, but it is important that we do so and save lives. Using technology may help to stay connected with your family, friends and the wider religious community at this time.

It is also important to be aware that health services across North Central London are open and receiving people with non-Covid symptoms. See here for more details.

We have seen an increase in deaths locally due to Covid over the last month or so, but we are also seeing higher than usual number of deaths from other causes, as are the rest of the country. It is therefore extremely important to access emergency care and ongoing care for long-term conditions to ensure you all stay safe and well.

Ramadan Mubarak

Cllr Caroline Stock, Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board and Dr Tamara Djuretic, Director of Public Health, Barnet Council and the Royal Free Group