25 June 2020
On the 23rd June the British Prime Minister announced the new guidelines that will ease many of the lockdown restrictions in England from the 4th July 2020.
As the number of Coronavirus cases continues to fall in England, the government has agreed that more public areas can re-open and restrictions that were put in place over the past few months can be further eased. Below we take you through some of the new measures and explain how they may affect you. Please note that these guidelines are for England, and guidelines for other parts of the UK may differ.
As we have heard many times in the past few months, keeping high standards of hygiene, by regularly washing or sanitising our hands and avoiding touching our faces, is the best way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These hygiene measures must be continued even with the new guidelines in place.
Although the government advises face coverings to be worn in England in situations where social distancing is not possible, the World Health Organisation has advised the use of masks in these circumstances and for people who are over 60. Face coverings are still mandatory on public transport in England, unless you fall into any of the exemption categories, and include anyone living with a respiratory condition.
As of the 4th July, the government will be changing the two-metre social distancing rule in England to one metre plus. However, if you can, you should distance yourself two metres from others. If you are in a situation where you can’t avoid being only one metre away from other people, the new guidelines advise you to take other measures to protect yourself, including wearing a face covering and regular hand washing or sanitising with alcohol based hand sanitiser if you’re in public.
Many businesses and tourist attractions will re-open at the beginning of July, meaning people will be able to eat out at restaurants, stay over at hotels and go to some indoor and outdoor venues, such as museums and cinemas.
Before July, we were only allowed to visit friends and family outdoors, unless a support bubble was formed between two households. The new guidelines enable up to two households of any size to meet indoors or outdoors and can stay together overnight, either at one of their homes or in a hotel. However, it is still vital to continue social distancing with anyone who is not in your household.
The past few months have been particularly isolating for those who are shielding, as they have been unable to leave their homes and see loved ones face to face. The government has been closely monitoring the guidelines for this group to determine when it is safe for anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable in England to come out of shielding. Due to the drop in cases of Coronavirus, from the 6th July those who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be able to form a support bubble with another household, if they are a single adult or forming a bubble with a single person, and will be able to meet in up to a group of six outdoors.
If cases of COVID-19 continue to stay low, shielding will no longer be advised from 1st August. Although this means that people who were shielding can now visit shops and some other public spaces, they must continue to be vigilant outdoors and strictly follow social distancing and hygiene measures, especially using hand sanitiser when in public.
The information in this article is correct, as of the 24th June 2020. Government advice may be subject to change and is continuously being monitored to ensure the guidelines offered help people to stay safe and well.
If you are interested in viewing more of the hygiene equipment available at Complete Care Shop, please visit our website.
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