A new set of coronavirus rules will come into force on Wednesday, May 13, which will begin the process of easing lockdown in England.
In an address to the nation on Sunday, May 10, Prime Minister Boris Johnson dropped his previous ‘stay at home’ message, instead opting for a slogan of ‘stay alert’.
New messages led to national front pages charting ‘confusion’ and ‘chaos’, while the PM rejected claims that people don’t understand.
On Monday, May 11, he produced a 50-page blueprint to escape lockdown and addressed the commons, aiming to clarify the FAQs. ‘People should apply their common sense’, he said.
Until Wednesday, people have been told to observe the existing guidance on social distancing. Anyone who shows coronavirus symptoms or has someone at home who is self-isolating should stay at home.
The salient changes and takeaways for England laid out today are as follows:
What can I do on May 13 that I can’t do now?
Leave the house as many times as you wish and spending time picnicking or sunbathing
You can meet one other person from a different household outdoors, following the 2m social distancing guideline
Use outdoor sporting facilities like tennis and golf courses – with members of the same household or one person outside of your household keeping 2m apart
Go to a garden centre
There is no limit to travelling distance and day trips to outdoor open spaces are permitted
What can’t I do?
Visit friends or family in their homes
Exercise in a gym, leisure centre or swimming pool
Use outdoor playgrounds
Gather in a group of more than two (excluding members of your own household), except for a few specific exceptions set out in law (for work, funerals, house moves, supporting the vulnerable, in emergencies and to fulfil legal obligations)
Stay in a second home or holiday accommodation
Weddings are still not permitted
Who is allowed to go to work?
Employers have been instructed to continue to support working from home if possible. Where work can only be done in the workplace, the government has said safety guidelines and phased reopening will be published in the coming days.
Back to work guidelines apply to essential retail like:
supermarkets
those in construction and manufacturing
those working in labs and research facilities
those administering takeaways and deliveries at restaurants and cafes
tradesmen, cleaners and others who work in people’s homes
those who are facilitating trade or transport goods
Those without childcare should have that impediment recognised by the employer when considering if they can go to work or not.
Spot inspections will take place on businesses to ensure they are keeping employees safe.
Non-essential retail, restaurants, pubs, bars, gyms, cinemas, hairdressers and leisure centres will remain closed.
When can I leave home?
You can leave home for work, where you can’t work from home, to shop for essentials at businesses permitted to be open, to exercise or for medical need. You can also leave home to help a vulnerable person at a 2m distance.
Vulnerable people who have been ‘shielded’, such as those with specific medical conditions, should continue to isolate until the end of June.
Can I see my friends and family?
You can meet one other person from outside your household if you are outdoors and 2m apart. Public gatherings of more than two people from different households are prohibited in law. There are no limits on gatherings in the park with members of your household.
Should I wear a face mask?
The government has advised people to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible. A face covering is not the same as the surgical masks or respirators used as part of personal protective equipment by healthcare and other workers.
What about transport?
People have been told to avoid public transport and to walk or cycle where possible. The government has told commuters to wear a face covering on transport when social distancing isn’t possible and has said further guidance will be issued later this week.
When will schools open?
Schools should prepare to open for more children from June 1, initially for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 in smaller class sizes.
Secondary schools and further education colleges should also prepare to begin some face to face contact with Year 10 and 12 pupils who have key exams next year, in support of their continued remote, home learning.
The government’s ambition is for all primary school children to return to school before the summer for a month if feasible.
Will restrictions still be policed?
Police will still have powers to issue fines to those breaching the requirements set out in law.
Spotted an error? Please notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
City of Lincoln Council has approved a 1.9% tax hike despite a series of cuts for 2021-22 due to the financial uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1.9% rise will take city council’s share of council tax for a Band D property in Lincoln to £285.39 – an increase of £5.31.
The executive committee agreed on increasing allotment charges, council house and garage rents.
Council bosses predict a budget gap of £1.75 million and said it must close the hole for financial stability.
Allotment charges will also see most tenants pay between £58.70-£78.30 per year from 2022, an increase of between 38p and 51 pence per week.
Council housing rent will increase by an average of 1.5%, while council garage rents will increase by 3%.
Attendees at City of Lincoln Council’s executive on Monday.
The authority said it faces a number of ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic and requires a substantial reduction in all of its budgets.
Cllr Ric Metcalfe, Leader of City of Lincoln Council said: “It’sareasonablymodestincreaseformostpeople,andwewill support lowincomegroups stillwiththeconcessions.”
The council has saved more than £9 million annually over the past decade, however will have to increase savings by £850,000 next year, rising to £1.75 million by 2023/24.
Due to the pandemic’s impact on government funded reliefs, empty properties and business closures, the authority estimates it will only retain £5.1 million of the £42 million of business rates generated in the city.
The draft budget will go to consultation and return before the council later this year for a final decision.
There have been 372 new coronavirus cases and nine COVID-related deaths in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s COVID-19 dashboard recorded 325 new cases in Lincolnshire, 30 in North Lincolnshire and 17 in North East Lincolnshire.
Some nine deaths were registered in Lincolnshire and none in North and North East Lincolnshire. These figures include deaths both in and out of hospitals, as well as residents in hospitals outside the county.
NHS England reported nine new local hospital deaths at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust on Monday. Hospital deaths have now surpassed 1,000 since the pandemic started in Greater Lincolnshire.
National cases increased by 37,535 to 3,433,494, while deaths rose by 599 to 89,860.
Leader of South Holland District Council, Cllr Lord Gary Porter, put the spike down to outbreaks in two care facilities, one being a children’s care home.
A group of urban explorers who travelled from three different counties to look around derelict buildings were caught and fined in Grantham for breaching lockdown rules. Two groups of revellers in the woods near Woodhall Spa have also been fined.
In national news, Public Health England have confirmed 4,062,501 people have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Those in England aged 70 and over, as well as the clinically extremely vulnerable, will begin receiving offers of a coronavirus vaccine this week.
Ten hospital trusts across England consistently reported having no spare adult critical care beds in the most recent figures available.
It comes as hospital waiting times, coronavirus admissions and patients requiring intensive care are rising.
All UK travel corridors, which allow arrivals from some countries to avoid having to quarantine, have now closed until at least February 15.
Travellers arriving in the UK, whether by boat, train or plane, also have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test to be allowed entry.
Supermarkets face increased inspections from local councils to ensure they are COVID-secure amid a push from the government to clamp down further on coronavirus transmission.
Local governments have been asked by ministers to target the largest supermarkets for inspection to ensure companies are enforcing mask wearing, social distancing and limits on shopper numbers.
Here’s Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rate up to January 17 according to the government dashboard:
Greater Lincolnshire’s infection rates from Jan 11 to Jan 17. | Data: Gov UK / Table: James Mayer for The Lincolnite
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, January 18
Greater Lincolnshire includes Lincolnshire and the unitary authorities of North and North East (Northern) Lincolnshire.
44,374 cases (up 372)
30,784 in Lincolnshire (up 325)
6,927 in North Lincolnshire (up 30)
6,663 in North East Lincolnshire (up 17)
1,686 deaths (up nine)
1,196 from Lincolnshire (up nine)
268 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
222 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,006 hospital deaths (up 10)
612 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up nine)
30 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
363 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
3,433,494 UK cases, 89,860 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
Eight people were fined for two separate COVID-19 rule breaches over the weekend, after being found partying and camping near Woodhall Spa.
Officers were called to two different incidents at Ostler’s Plantation, a woodland area near Woodhall Spa on Saturday, January 16 and on Sunday, January 17.
Five people were issued with £200 fines after a report of partying at around 11.08pm on Saturday.
The next morning, police were again called to the area at 8.21am after people were seen camping at the location.
Three people were fined as a result of this, again valued at £200 due to being first time offenders.
If these fines are paid within 14 days of the offence, the cost will be cut in half to £100.
On the same weekend, but this time in a different location, six urban explorers were fined after travelling from three different counties to try and gain access to an abandoned hospital in Grantham.
The behaviour of COVID-19 rule breakers has been described as “dangerous” by Lincolnshire Police’s assistant chief constable Kerrin Wilson, who referred to them as “Covidiots”.
Whatsapp
