
The government has published its 57 page National Covid 19 Action Plan, which is attached to this article, or available for download here
An emergency bill was approved during an incorporeal meeting of Cabinet on March 17th. It was debated in the Dáil and Seanad and signed in to law on March 26th; you can read it here
As and from midnight on March 27th, people are advised to stay in their homes. New public health measures, in effect until April 12th, are:
Community Health
Stay at home in all circumstances, except in the following situations:
- to travel to and from work where the work is considered an essential service. The full list of essential workers will be published as early as possible tomorrow (Saturday). In the meantime, the government advice for businesses and services which consider themselves essential service, is to remain open, pending publication of the list.
- to attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products for yourself, your family or someone who is vulnerable or cocooning.
- for vital family reasons including caring for children, elderly or vulnerable people but excluding social family visits
- to take brief individual physical exercise within your locality, which may include children from your household within 2 kilometres of your home and adhering to strict 2 metre social distancing measures
- you cannot arrange a gathering with anybody you do not live with
- Cocooning will be introduced for those over 70 years of age and those who are extremely medically vulnerable to COVID-19
Essential services
- everyone who can work from home must work from home. This includes essential workers and workers in essential government, utilities or other functions.
- adult community education centres and local community centres are closed
- all essential services should ensure safe working conditions are in place
- specific advice will be available from the Health and Safety Authority
Health considerations
- all non-essential surgery, health procedures and other non-essential health services are postponed
- all visits to hospitals, residential healthcare centres, other residential settings are prisons are stopped with specific exemptions on compassionate grounds
- pharmacists are to be allowed by law to dispense medicines outside the dates spelled out in prescriptions according to their own professional judgement
- manufacturers will be called on to adapt their manufacturing capacity to produce personal protective equipment (PPE), equipment, masks and other essential products for national market, including hand gels and other essential medicines and products by pharmacies
Transport and Travel
Travel restrictions will be implemented as folloes
- there will be a nationwide restriction on travel outside of 2 kilometres from your place of residence (except for the restrictions listed above.
- public transport and passenger travel will be restricted to essential workers
- travel to Ireland's offshore islands is limited only to residents of those islands
- local authorities will relax on-street parking laws to meet the travel needs of essential workers
- the arrival of personal non-national maritime leisure vessels is banned (except to exceptions as 'port in a storm')
Legislation and Regulation
- the measure above will be reflected in the regulations to be made under the Health (Preservation and Protection and Other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2000 and will be enforced by the Garda Síochána.
HEALTH
The HSE has issued wide-ranging advice on Covi19:
KDOC - Doctors on Call is the out of hours GP service for member practices in Kildare and West Wicklow - 1890 599 362.
The Irish College of General Practitioners has published a list of Kildare GPs, along with their contact details here
WELLBEING
Mental Health Ireland has a range of well-being resources, which you can find here
If you need mental health support, support, MHI advises that you make contact with your GP.
In addition, it has also puiblished helpline and support group information here
Samaritans, Newbridge, offers a listening service on 116 123
Women's Aid offers services and supports to women and children subjected to domestic abuse. The helpline number is 1800 341 900
AnyMan Ireland offers services and supports to men subjected to domestic abuse., The helpline number is: 01 554 3811.
Many people who are self-isolating or remote working may find that their physical activity levels drop.
And, in particular, a lack of activity among older or more vulnerable people may leave them at greater risk of developing a respiratory illness.
This is as a lack of activity may mean people's core body temperature drops.
Rob McCabe, of McCabe Physiotherapy, joined Clem Ryan on Kildare Today with advice on staying active in the home.
HOUSING
Rent increases have been frozen for three months, and tenants may not be evicted. You can read the bill here
The pillar banks may offer breaks of up to three months to mortgage payment, on application.
Kildare County Council's rents are based on a system called the 'Differential Rent Scheme'. This means that rent is based on your ability to pay, so if your income in low, your rent will be low and if your income increases, so will your rent. The income of other members of the household will be added to the rent calculation and there may be deductions for any children in the family.
It is important to note that if the income of any member of the family changes, you must notify Kildare County Council immediately. Failure to notify the council may result as a breach of your tenancy agreement.
Please click the link below to download a Rent Assessment Form. This needs to be completed and returned to the Rent Assessment Section, Kildare County Council at the address below or emailed to rentassessment@kildarecoco.ie.
Kildare County Council has made the following changes to its Housing Dept. operations:
- HAP Walk in Clinic is suspended until further notice. HAP application forms can be requested by email: hap@kildarecoco.ie or telephone 045 980657. Information is available online and includes a checklist to assist HAP applicants.
- Application forms for Social Housing, Rent Review (including HAP Tenants), Housing Adaptation, Mobility and Aid for Older Persons Grants, are available online. Copies of all Application Forms are also available at Customer Services.
- Housing Maintenance essential repairs and urgent emergencies can be reported by telephoning 045 980 200 and Out of Hours: 1 890 50 03 33
ACCESSING SOCIAL WELFARE PAYMENT
An Post has put special arrangements in place for customers in receipt of Social Welfare payments.
Money can now be collected by a friend or relative on behalf of the person it's for.
The alternative collectors will have to be nominated and present valid ID, as well as the recipient's card from the Department of Employment Affairs.
Nomination forms are available in the Post Office and, also, here
Angus Laverty in An Posts Public Affairs Director and joined Clem Ryan on Kildare Today.
CITIZENS INFORMATION SERVICES
All Kildare Citizens Information Services are closed for public drop in until the 30th of March.
However, services have been consolidated in to two offices, which are operating phone and email services:
Maynooth CIC:
Phone: 0761 07 8100
email: maynooth@citinfo.ie
Naas CIC:
Phone: 0761 07 8280
email: naas@citinfo.ie
Joan O'Connor is Development Manager in Kildare for the North Leinster Citizens Information Service.
She joined Clem Ryan on Kildare Today
SUPPORTS FOR OLDER PEOPLE
SeniorLine has been the national, confidential listening service for older people, run by trained older volunteers since 1998. Any caller, concerned about Covid 19, will receive the most up to date guidance as recommended by Government sources. Good health practice is reinforced at all times. This information is updated daily as the situation changes and is available to each of our volunteers at the phones.
Phone:
SeniorLine is a FREEPHONE service and our older callers can call free between 10am and 10pm every day of the year on 1800 804 591
More information: www.thirdageireland.ie/seniorline
Alone
ALONE, the organisation that supports older people, has announced the launch of a national support line and additional supports for older people who have concerns or are facing difficulties relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Ireland.
Phone: Contact ALONE on 0818 222 024 if you have concerns about your own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person you know.
More information: www.alone.ie.
Friends of the Elderly:
If you would like to receive a Friendly Call from a Friends of the Elderly volunteer, or if you are referring an older person to the service or would like to inquire further about the Friendly Call Service or any of Friends of the Elderly’s services please contact us directly:
HOUSING
All private sector rent increases and evictions have been banned for the next three months, following a sitting of the Dáil on March 19th.
Kildare County Council is moving to reassure its over 3,500 social housing tenants, and the thousands of households in Kildare in receipt of HAP.
Ihe council says it " is aware that many tenants may be affected by the recent employment losses and changes to working conditions adversely impacting household incomes. Differential rents are calculated on the basis of household income, consequently if your primary income has now reduced so too will your rent. "
However, rents will have to be reassessed, which means tenants will have to submit a Rent Review Form; these can be downloaded here: http://kildare.ie/countycouncil/housing/HousingRents/
It can be submitted, by email, to rentassessment@kildarecoco.ie or sent in by post to KCC's Housing Department, Rents Section, at Aras Cill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas. People can also call 045-98075 for help.
REVENUE
Revenue will refund employers who continue paying staff they lay off 203 euro per week.
Companies who keep staff on the payroll but can't offer full wages, can instead pay the 203 euro, which is equal to the Covid-19 support payment.
The department says it will help maintain a link between employers and their staff and make a return to work more seamless.
Among the other measures announced by Revenue include postponing stamp duty on credit cards to July, and deferring Local Property Tax payments to May.
In addition, a range of measures have been announced to assist SMEs
Joe Howley is Collector General at the Revenue Commissioners, and has been speaking to Clem Ryan on Kildare Today.
EMPLOYEES
There are several supports now in place for people whose employment has been affected by Covid 19.
These are available for people whose employers can't continue to pay them during a COVID-19 (Coronavirus) related absence or temporary lay-off from work:
Gov.ie and Welfare.ie have published advice and documentation:
- employees and the self-employed who have lost employment due to a downturn in economic activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- workers who are diagnosed with COVID-19
- workers who are not diagnosed with COVID-19 but who self-isolate.
- workers whose employers do not supplement/top-up the State Illness Benefit payment (COVID-19)
- workers who are requested to stay at home by their employer (COVID-19)
- workers who are laid off temporarily or put on to short time working (COVID-19)
- workers who need to take time off work to care for a person affected by COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
A booklet on Short Term Working is attached to this article
And, people can access more information on employment rights through the Workplace Relations Commission here
EMPLOYERS, with thanks to Chambers Ireland
- COVID-19 Jobseekers Emergency Payments Guide *NEW*
- ‘My Coronavirus Toolkit’ from Peninsula *NEW*
- COVID-19 FAQs for Business and Retail Sector from the HSE *NEW*
- Revenue Announcement of SMEs Supports for cash-flow difficulties from COVID-19 / Coronavirus *NEW*
- Short-Time Work Support booklet from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection *NEW*
- Coronavirus / COVID-19 Business Supports from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information for Employers and Employees from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection published 12 March 2020
- Irish Government Update on the next phase of Ireland’s Covid-19 response from 9 March 2020
- Coronavirus / COVID-19 Business Continuity Planning Checklist from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation from February 2020
- Citizens Information Briefings on Employers’ Obligations (in context of Coronavirus / COVID-19)
- Citizens Information Briefings on Employees’ Rights and Entitlements (in context of Coronavirus / COVID-19)
- Information on the Short Time Work Support Scheme, a scheme suited to benefit employees whose hours of work have been reduced from the impact of Coronavirus / COVID-19
County Kildare Chamber of Commerce is offering advice and support to its members, and all information is here
COMMUNITY BASED HELP
Communities in Kildare are rallying around to support people in self isolation, or who are medically vulnerable.
County-Wide:
Thousands of people across Ireland, hundreds of Kildare people among them, have signed up to localsupport,ie
The website shows people willing to help those in self-isolation, their location, and contact details.
It was founded and created by Helen O'Rahilly
Kildare GAA is working with the HSE to explore options to promote and coordinate the provision of local community volunteer support.
The HSE anticipate that their Community Services will experience an unprecedented surge in demand in the coming weeks, and capacity will be stretched within our communities in Kildare.
Castledermot
And a new group, Castledermot Self Isolation Help during Covid19, has also been established.
People in the area can message the page, or contact 085 839 3441 for help or assistance.
Caragh
For Caragh residents, support is available. Volunteers have offered to support for those vulnerable & self-isolating.
Centra, in Caragh village, have offered to pack groceries for order.
Cookes of Caragh are preparing to start a takeaway menu & volunteers are available to deliver, or collect items, such as prescriptions.
If needed, contact Cllr. Rob Power for more information: 085 727 9307.
Maynooth:
Naas
Naas Ball
The Naas Ball Facebook page is hosting the creation of a network to enable people in self isolation to maintain social contact, to obtain groceries, medications and other necessities.
More information is here:
And, people can also call 087 753 4817
Vista Pharmacy
Vista Pharamacy, Naas, is offering a free prescription delivery service to all Co. Kildare residents.
Contact the pharmacy by phone: 045 881 146
Fax: 045 881 147
Email: vista@allcarepharmacy.ie
GARDA STATIONS
Athy: 059863421
Castledermot: (059) 9144112
Celbridge: (01) 6012370
Clane: (045) 868262
Derrinturn: (046) 9553002
Kilcock: (01) 6757390
Naas: 045884300
Newbridge: 045431212
Leixlip: 01 666 78 00
KILDARE COUNTY COUNCIL
Áras Chill Dara, Devoy Park, Naas, Co Kildare. W91 X77F -
Tel: (045) 980200
Website: www.kildarecountycouncil.ie Email: customercare@kildarecoco.ie
Out of Hours Contact: 1890 50 03 33
All of KCC's online services are accessible here:
Chief Executive, Head of Finance and Director of Services
Chief Executive |
Peter Carey |
Head of Finance, IS and Motor Tax |
Acting Head of Finance Fiona Millane |
Director Of Services - Water Services and Environment |
Joe Boland |
Director Of Services - Housing & Corporate Services |
Annette Aspell |
Director Of Services - Economic, Community & Cultural Development (incl. HR) |
Sonya Kavanagh |
Director Of Services - Planning & Strategic Development |
Eoghan Ryan |
Director of Services - Roads, Transportation and Public Safety |
Tadgh McDonnell |
Corporate Services
Corporate Services |
(045) 980206 |
Customer Care Unit |
(045) 980206 |
FOI |
(045) 980228 |
Higher Education Grants |
(045) 980202 |
Press Department |
(045) 980206 |
Register of Electors |
(045) 980201 |
Planning
Planning Administration |
(045) 980845 |
Development Contributions |
(045) 980843 |
Unauthorised Development |
(045) 980839 |
Building and Development Control |
(045) 980842 |
Roads and Transportation
Roads and Transportation |
(045) 980421 |
Parking Fines |
(045) 980422 |
Kildare Regional Design Office |
(045) 898199 |
Municipal District Offices
Athy Municipal District |
(045) 980203 |
Celbridge/Leixlip Municipal District |
(01) 6286236 |
Newbridge/Kildare Municipal District |
(045) 437556/557 |
Maynooth Municipal District |
(01) 6286236 |
Naas Municipal District |
(045) 980425 |
Machinery Yard, Newbridge |
(045) 431400 |
Finance/Accounts
Commercial and Water Rates |
(045) 980656 |
Housing Loans |
(045) 980652 |
Rents |
(045) 980654 |
Payments/Accounts Payable |
(045) 980651 |
Wages/Salaries/Pension |
(045) 980655 |
Housing
Housing Administration |
(045) 980705 |
Environment Services
Environment Administration |
(045) 980588 |
Dog Warden, Portersize, Ballitore |
(059) 8623388 |
Veterinary Services |
(045) 980205 |
Free Litter Hotline |
1800 243 143 |
Integretated Waste Management Facility
Silliot Hill, Kilcullen * |
(045) 482229 |
Athy Civic Amenity Centre
Gallows Hill, Athy * |
(059) 8640657 |
Water Services
Waterworks Office, Newbridge |
(045) 431364 |
Rural Water (well grants/group schemes) |
(045) 980361 |
Libraries
Headquarters, Riverbank, Newbridge |
.(045) 431109 |
Athy Community Library. |
(059) 8631144 |
Ballitore Community Library |
(059) 8623344 |
Castledermot Community Library |
(059) 9144483 |
Celbridge Community Library |
(01) 6272207 |
Clane Community Library. |
(045) 892716 |
Clocha Rince Community Library |
(046) 9553428 |
Kilcock Community Library |
(01) 6284403 |
Kilcullen Community Library |
(045) 482193 |
Kildare Community Library |
(045) 520235 |
Kildare Collections and Research Services |
(045) 448351 |
Kildare Family History Research |
(045) 448350 |
Leixlip Community Library |
(01) 6060050 |
Maynooth Community Library |
(01) 6285530 |
Mobile Library Service |
(045) 448304 |
Monasterevin Community Library |
(045) 529239 |
Naas Community Library |
(045) 879111 |
Newbridge Community Library |
(045) 448353 |
Rathangan Community Library |
(045) 528078 |
Arts Centre
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge |
(045) 448327 |
Booking Office |
(045) 448333 |
Leisure Services
Leisure Services |
(045) 980203 |
Athy Swimming Pool * |
(059) 8641522 |
Naas Swimming Pool * |
(045) 881655 |
Newbridge Sports Centre. |
(045) 433663 |
* Athy and Naas Swimming Pools are operated independently by |
Fire Service – Emergencies 999 OR 112
Central Fire Station, Newbridge |
(045) 431370 |
Motor Tax |
045) 980591 |
Community and Culture |
(045) 980538 |
County Arts Service |
(045) 448328 |
Kildare Community Network |
045) 980483 |
Civil Defence |
(045) 454841 |
Emails
Access |
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Building Control |
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Civil Defence |
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Community & Enterprise |
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Commercial & Water Rates |
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Customer Care Unit |
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Environment |
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FOI |
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HEGs |
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Housing |
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IT |
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Kildare Community Network |
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Motor Tax |
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Planning Admin |
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Planning Drawing Office |
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Press Office |
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Public Lighting Faults |
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Recruitment/Jobs |
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Register of Electors/Franchise |
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Roads and Transportation |
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Traffic Light Faults |
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Veterinary Services |
Telephone No.'s |
Mobile No. |
Location |
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AES |
1850 650 655 |
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Age Action Ireland - Brigid Butler |
(045) 988437 |
087 2236558 |
Located on level 5 |
Citizen Information, Naas |
(045) 879489 |
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Community Welfare Officer |
1800 383 800 |
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Community Welfare Officer |
(045) 864096 |
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Company Registration Office |
1890 220 226 |
(01) 8045201 |
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County Kildare Childcare Committee |
(045) 861307 |
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Courthouse Naas |
(045) 980120/980100 |
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Dept of Defence, Curragh |
(045) 445000 |
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Driving Test Centre, Ballina |
(045) 78289 |
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Environmental Health Office (Food) |
(045) 873267 |
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FAS Newbridge |
(045) 431372 |
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FAS Kill |
(045) 877181 |
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Health & Safety Authority |
(01) 6147000 |
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HSE |
(045) 876001 |
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Irish Organisation of Market & Street Traders |
(01) 8302271 |
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Irish Refugee Council |
(01) 8730042 |
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Irish Wheelchair Association |
(045) 861346 |
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ISPCA - Kildare Area - STewart King |
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087 2517381 |
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Kildare Community Parntership |
(045) 895450 |
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Kildare Revenue Unit |
1890 444 425 |
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Land Registry |
(01) 6707500 |
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Local Enterprise Office |
(045) 980838 |
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Naas Couriers |
(045) 875166 |
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Naas Gardai |
(045) 897333 |
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Naas Hospital |
(045) 849500 |
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NCT |
1890 200 670 |
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Ordnance Survey |
(01) 8025349 |
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Osbornes Solicitors |
(045) 899485 |
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Oxigen |
(045) 866838 |
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Passport Services |
1890 426 888 |
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Private Residential Tenancy Board |
(01) 8882960 |
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Registrar (Births, Deaths & Marriages |
(045) 887660 |
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Road Safety Authority |
(091) 872600 |
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SEI |
1850 927 000 |
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Taxi Regulator |
1890 927 977 |
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Vehicle Licensing Shannon |
(061) 365000 |
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VEC |
(045) 988000 |
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All of KCC's online services are accessible here: