National lockdown rules: stay at home says Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced new lockdown measures for England that are expected to remain in place until at least mid-February.

He said: “Our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time since the start of the pandemic."

The Prime Minister added that a new lockdown was necessary to try and stem the new strain of the virus.

The new Government rules for England are that you must stay at home except for the following reasons:

• To shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
• To go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
• To exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
• To meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
• To seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
• To attend education or childcare - for those eligible
• You can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.
• You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, to attend a funeral or event related to a death, to visit a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. You should follow the guidance on the safe use of places of worship and must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone’s death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work.

Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term.

Shops selling essential items may continue to operate throughout the lockdown, as long as Covid-19 secure measures are in place.

All non-essential retail must close for the foreseeable future. This includes clothing and homeware stores as well as market stalls selling ‘non-essential goods.’

Cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs must close with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through purposes.

These will no longer be able to offer the takeaway or click-and-collect of alcoholic drinks, however.

Councils and police have been asked to not evict unauthorised camps and to instead provide services.

The Canal and River Trust has suspended the ’14 day movement rule’  for boaters with no home mooring and can said that people who live on their boat can only travel for essential reasons, such as to get water or other essential services.

TT News