In the House of Commons vote on 4th November, MPs backed the introduction of a one-month lockdown and the measures are now in force until Wednesday 2nd December.
The rules originally published by the Government at the weekend have now been updated with a number of amendments and can be found here.
The guidance document explains the new restrictions in greater detail but some of the main features are as follows: –
- You must stay at home except for specific reasons such as going to work (if it cannot be done from home), childcare or education, exercise outdoors (you are allowed to make a short journey to do so), essential shopping, hospital, GP and other medical appointments, providing care for vulnerable people or for volunteering, and for visiting members of their support bubble
- Meeting socially with family or friends, indoors or in private gardens will not be allowed, unless they are part of your household or support bubble – but individuals can meet one other person from another household outside in a public place
- Essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres hardware stores, builders merchants and off licences along with certain other businesses providing essential goods and services such as banks, building societies, post offices, petrol stations etc. can remain open – please see section 4 of the Government guidance document for further details
- Non-essential retail will close, but can remain open for click-and-collect delivery
- Personal care facilities, e.g. hairdressers, beauty and nail salons, massage parlours, spas etc. must close
- Pubs, bars, restaurants will have to close, but can still provide a takeaway and delivery service – now including alcohol
- Indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools, golf courses, riding centres, theme parks and dance studios etc. must close
- Entertainment venues such as theatres, cinemas, concert halls, museums, galleries, bowling alleys, zoos, botanical gardens etc. must close
- Places of worship will close, unless they are being used for funerals, to broadcast acts of worship, individual prayer, formal childcare, or essential services such as blood donation or food banks
- Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be able to take place except in exceptional circumstances, and funerals will be limited to a maximum of 30 people
- Construction sites and manufacturing workplaces can remain open
- Children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated
- Clinically vulnerable people will be asked to be “especially careful” but people will not be asked to resume shielding
- Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed. This includes holidays abroad and in the UK. It also means you cannot stay in a second home, if you own one, or staying with anyone you do not live with or are in a support bubble with. There are specific exceptions, for example if you need to stay away from home (including in a second home) for work purposes, but this means people cannot travel overseas or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons.
Schools, colleges and universities remain open – and you are still allowed to move house.
Of course, life would not be complete without a poster so for the latest version please see here.
The furlough scheme under which the Government covered up to 80 per cent of employees’ wages has today been extended until March 2021 and further financial support is being made available to the self-employed.
Under the new restrictions, community centres and halls must also close and this includes Bury Village Hall. However, our hall can remain open to host a limited number of exempt activities, one of which is the provision of childcare facilities. Consequently, Jacqui can still run the Cornflakes and Chillout Club from the Sydney Room. Currently we are liaising with other hall hirers to establish whether their particular activities fall within the exempt categories.
Bury Green and Playground remains open but please follow the guidelines attached to the gate before entering. In particular please observe the one-way entry and exit system, take hygiene precautions when you are outside, take hand sanitiser with you, keep at least 2 metres apart from anyone outside your household or support bubble where possible, or at least one metre with precautions such as wearing a face mask, and wash your hands as soon as you are back indoors. Please avoid eating and drinking in the playground and take any rubbish home with you.
Keep well, stay safe and If you require help with shopping or medical prescriptions please do not hesitate to contact
Fr. Peter Mallinson (Bury) 839057 or Ken & Diana Rowsell (West Burton) 831475
