By KLTV Newsdesk –
From Monday, March 29, new rules on socialising and an easing of restrictions are set to come into effect nationwide as part of the government’s ongoing roadmap out of lockdown.
Meeting with others
Outdoor gatherings of groups of six people will once again be allowed, as well as any amount of people from two separate households. This includes gatherings both in public and in private gardens.
Expanding on the new rule further, organised gatherings of parents and children in groups of up to 15 will be allowed. Any number of children under the age of five can also attend these gatherings.
Outdoor exercise
In terms of exercise, people will once again be allowed to take part in formally organised outdoor sports, as facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, as well as open-air swimming pools, are allowed to reopen.
Indoor facilities will remain closed for now and will potentially reopen in the next phase of the roadmap, on April 12.
Stay Local
People will no longer need a reasonable excuse to leave the house as the ‘stay at home’ order will officially end.
Many restrictions will remain in place, however, and the government is still recommending that people should work from home as much as possible and minimise their travel to necessary journeys.
Long-distance travel, while not illegal, will not be encouraged as rules on things such as overnight stays are still in effect.
Further to this, the ‘stay at home’ directive will be retired and replaced with a new ‘stay local’ campaign. People will be encouraged to stay within their local community as much as possible.
Examples of ‘Local’ have been defined by the government as places such as your town, village, or part of a given city.
Long-distance travel is still not advised and people will be encouraged to ‘Stay Local’
Travel Abroad
Holidays are still a no-go as travel abroad will continue to be prohibited, other than for a small number of permitted reasons. It remains imperative that we continue to manage the risk of imported variants and protect the vaccination programme.
The government says they have launched a new taskforce to review global travel which will outline a report on 12 April.
All other social distancing rules are set to remain in place, this includes staying six feet apart as much as reasonably possible and continuing to wear a mask in public.
Next steps
Should infection rates continue to stay low, and the vaccine programme continues successfully, the next set of changes should come into effect no earlier than the 12th of April.
If nationwide infections start to increase drastically once more, however, then the government said it would delay any further easing of restrictions as necessary.
Kirklees Council is urging caution ahead of the easing of restrictions, as infection rates remain high across the borough, almost double the nationwide average.
You can read the latest on COVID-19 figures in Kirklees in our weekly covid update.
