Last night, Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown. But what are the new rules?
With the new variant of COVID-19 circulating through all parts of the UK, last night, Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a third lockdown. This lockdown is more akin to the first lockdown in March than the second one in November, with stricter measures in place to combat coronavirus. It has come in to place to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed by the recent surge in cases.
People in England will have to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons, and all primary and secondary schools will close and move onto online learning. As it is our third lockdown in a year, the guidance should be easier to follow. There are, as per the first lockdown, a list of reasons to leave home that are acceptable. These include:
· Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home. This includes work in someone else's home, such as that carried out by social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople.
Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies
Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day). This includes meeting one other person from another household in an open public space to exercise.
Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
Communal religious worship
Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents.
Activities related to moving house
Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are now closed throughout England, including gyms and swimming pools. Pubs and restaurants are closed, but takeaway food is still permitted. Some public places are allowed to stay open this time, including parks, beaches, public gardens, playgrounds and the grounds of heritage sites.
If you break the rules, the police can take action against you. You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
As per the first lockdown, the guidance still includes “Hands. Face. Space”
· Hands – wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds
· Face – wear a face-covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
· Space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)
For more information, please follow this link - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/949536/NationalLockdownGuidance.pdf