Local authorities urged to support traveller communities amid coronavirus (COVID-19)

Article summary

The Communities Minister, Lord Greenhalgh, has written to local authority chief executives to express concern about the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the gypsy and traveller communities. In particular, Greenhalgh highlighted that such communities may need support in accessing basic facilities such as water, sanitation and waste disposal, to enable them to adhere to public health guidelines around self-isolation and social distancing during the outbreak. In the letter, Greenhalgh lists the ways in which the government has been addressing the needs of these communities thus far, and urges local authorities to engage with gypsy and traveller support organisations to better understand the needs of gypsies and travellers in their area.