The seven main changes are these.

1.  The PM is urging people to return to work on Wednesday if they are unable to work from home and their employer is not on the business closure list.

2.  From Wednesday, everyone can have unlimited time outdoors, including in public parks, anywhere you can travel to.  You must remain 2 metres away from other people, however.

3.  If the infection level is low enough, there will be a phased return to schools from June.

4.  The fines for anyone breaking the rules will rise.

5.  Anyone arriving into the UK by air will need to quarantine for two weeks (excluding those coming from Ireland or France).

6.  A COVID alert system will indicate the danger levels, from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most serious.  Currently we are at Level 4, moving down towards Level 3.  The level will determine how touch physical distancing measures need to be.

7.  A new “stay alert, control the virus, save lives” slogan was launched.

Everything else STAYS THE SAME.    You should stay at home except for:

•    shopping for necessities, as infrequently as possible;

•    exercise or leisure, alone or with a member of your immediate household;

•    medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person;

•    travelling to and from work when this can’t be done from home.

When away from home for any of these reasons, the existing guidance on physical distancing and hand-washing apply.

People in England can meet ONE other person if they are outside and stay 2m apart.  No visitors are permitted in the home

The Lake District National Park has said that while they know people will be keen to visit the Lake District, the very high level of Covid-19 infection in Cumbria mean that the health of Park staff and local communities must be the priority.  The mountain rescue teams, for example, are all volunteers of whom a high proportion work in the NHS and other frontline professions.  To protect local communities, people are asked to stay away.

All the Lake District campsites, hotels, restaurants etc remain closed.  The Park Authority will put in measures to keep people safe when thiings can be opened up more.  Meanwhile, they await more information from the government.  More information at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/coronavirus .

Cumbria County Council will reopen its Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) from Tuesday 12 May, initially offering a restricted service in line with Government guidance.

These are the HWRC rules

 •       You can ONLY take things to a HWRC if your waste or recycling cannot be stored at home safely or disposed of safely by other means. 

•       Do not bring asbestos to site but arrange for professional removal in due course. 

•       Ideally only one person should attend, but if necessary there can be one passenger, from the same household.

•       Strict social distancing measures will be in place across all HWRC sites, so there may be queues.  If these are long, you may be asked to go home and return another day.  

•       All site users must adhere to the 2 metre physical distancing rules.

•       The site operatives will not be permitted to help carry your waste, so only bring what you can safely carry.

•       No vans, trailers or commercial vehicles of any type will be allowed on site.

•       No one should attend the site if they are shielding and/or self-isolating due to possible Covid-19 symptoms.

•       If any household had Covid-19 symptoms, then the waste should be left for 72 hours before being brought to site. Waste should be doubled bagged.

•       No pedestrians will be allowed on the site.

•       The current permitting scheme (for vans and pedestrians) will continue to be suspended and no permits will be issued.

•       Please check the council’s website before setting out to a HWRC

https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/planning-environment/waste-management/default.asp . 

Welfare support for residents

A new welfare booklet will be delivered to every household in Cumbria this week. The booklet covers a wide range of welfare support that is available to people who may be struggling because of coronavirus, including signposting to Citizens Advice, GOV.UK, CCC Welfare Support and district council support services. There are also NHS messages covering mental health and the ‘open for business’ campaign.

The information is also available online at www.cumbria.gov.uk/coronavirus/additionalsupport.asp 

Information sources

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus 

NHS information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

Q&A from Public Health England: https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/ 

The latest travel advice:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhclg