On Monday, the Prime Minister announced a new national lockdown to combat the new and more transmissible strain of coronavirus.
Under the new regulations, you can only leave your house to:
- shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
- go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
- exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
- meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
- seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
- attend education or childcare - for those eligible
Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early years settings remain open.
Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.
If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local - unless it is necessary to go further, for example to go to work. Stay local means stay in the village, town, or part of the city where you live.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work.
For full details of the new restrictions, please click here.
Commenting, Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti said:
We need to act now so our NHS isn't overwhelmed. This is why you are now being asked to Stay at Home to Protect the NHS and Save Lives.
I know how hard it's going to be in this lockdown. None of us wanted to be in this position again but we have to act where there is more risk. The Prime Minister has taken this stop only as a last resort.
We have vaccinations being rolled out, so we can look forward to a time when we can again get back to something more like normal. In the meantime, please look out for your family, friends and neighbours, and support them when you can.
My office will remain open and ready to help you. You can call my team on 01454 617 783, or email me on jack.lopresti.mp@parliament.uk.
