COVID-19 Crisis Fund for Security Personnel

The pandemic has been a challenging time for many of us. It’s affected every single individual, whether you are a child or an older person. 

Most of us have struggled with the lockdown restrictions. Simply not being able to go out for some fresh air, enjoy a meet up with friends either at the coffee shop or pub. Schools being closed has put significant pressure on both parents and children. And not being able to see elderly relatives has been tough for families. 

However, with the UK being the first nation to begin vaccinations, the totals are impressive. As of Mar 29th, while 3,674,266 have received their second dose, 30,444,829 have received their first dose. That’s almost half the UK population. 

The uptake of the vaccine is now at levels of around 300,000 daily. Those that love sports are now able to get back to the golf course and tennis courts. Those that have been desperately awaiting a haircut after almost a year will, at last, be able to get their overgrown style finally dealt with. 

Of course, certain sectors have suffered more than others. While there will be an expected surge in demand for security personnel as the lockdown eases, while it’s been in place, things have been tough going for families who rely on a wage from the security industry. 

In terms of the number of cases, the UK has had the sixth-largest number, according to worldometers figures. In terms of cases per million, the UK has once again fared poorly, reporting the fourth largest numbers per million at around 63,000. Only the US, France, and Spain have reported more cases. And the number represents 6.3%, meaning 6 out of every 100 people have had the virus. And in terms of deaths per million, the UK has reported more than any country, even higher than the US, at 1,858 deaths per million or around two deaths per 1000 people. 

However, the good news is that following a spike in January when on Jan 31st, over 2 million people were infected by covid, the curve has now entirely flattened with less than 400,000 current cases. Fortunately, new cases have fallen from around 70,000 at its peak to under 4,000. The current number of critical cases is just 615, meaning that the UK is doing very well in terms of other countries. 

Of the 6.3% of the population that have had the virus, most will have suffered minor symptoms and will have recovered at home. But far too many people have experienced severe symptoms and been hospitalised. While many security personnel may have been laid off, there are still frontline workers in the security industry that have put their lives on the line to protect the general public. 

Many security personnel employed in hospitals to keep patients and hospital staff safe have contracted the virus themselves. Sadly, some of these cases have been serious enough for the person to be taken into the same hospital they have been employed at. 

In some very tragic cases, security personnel have lost their lives to the pandemic. The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals set up a gofundme page. The page was set up with a goal to meet £5000. 

On seeing the need to reach the target, the Get Licensed team made a donation of £4,300. You can still donate to the fund by heading to the page. The fund will give a small grant to security personnel that have been hospitalised with the virus. The fund also offers small grants to families of security personnel that have lost their lives to the virus. Security staff that have been affected can access the funding by heading to this page to apply for a crisis fund. 

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