The Prime Minister made a statement in the House of Commons outlining further national restrictions for the whole of England. The outline for the latest government guidelines for England is as follows:
- Office workers should work from home again where possible.
- From Thursday 24th September, all pubs, bars and restaurants must be table service only and close at 10pm - but delivery services can remain open.
- The requirement to wear a face covering has been extended to staff in retail, people in taxis and everyone using hospitality services (unless seated).
- Fines for not wearing a face covering will now double to £200 for a first offence.
- Only 15 people can now attend weddings but 30 can go to a funeral.
- The rule of six has been extended to indoor sports teams.
- Phased reopening of stadiums for sports clubs has been cancelled.
- You must not meet in a group of more than 6 people. However, for us, as we live within the Bradford District Council Area, this point is further restricted by the local restrictions which are outlined below.
The above national measures will be kept under review as more data comes in, but the Prime Minister has indicated that these measures may be in place for up to six months. To read the full Prime Minister’s speech which was delivered on the 22nd September on the introduction of these national measures, please visit; https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-statement-on-coronavirus-covid-19-22-september-2020
In addition to the above, the whole of the constituency is subject to local restrictions. This is due to the increasing number of positive Covid cases being reported across the Bradford District Council area. On the recommendation of Bradford Council which has been signed off by government, the decision has been made that the whole of the Bradford District should be subject to the below local restrictions. These took effect from Tuesday 22nd September.
An outline of these local restrictions is as follows;
- You must not mix with other households in private homes or gardens. This means you cannot go to the house of someone else you do not live with. You also cannot go in their garden.
- People living within the Bradford District Council area cannot meet in someone else’s home or garden even if they live outside of the Bradford District Council area.
- You can still meet indoors with people in your support bubble. People who live alone or single parents with dependent children aged under-18 can continue to visit one other household and stay overnight. They can also continue to visit other public places as if they were one household.
- You are strongly advised not to socialise with people you do not live with, or are not in a support bubble with, in public venues. This means you are strongly advised not to socialise with others in pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, places of worship, community centres, leisure and entertainment venues or visitor attractions. You may attend these venues with people you live with (or are in a support bubble with) but should avoid interaction with others.
For further advice on the above local restrictions, please visit; https://www.gov.uk/guidance/west-yorkshire-local-restrictions
I am pleased to say that indoor gyms, fitness, dance studios as well as swimming pools will be excluded from these restrictions and will be able to remain open.