With summer in full swing it’s a great opportunity to enjoy time outside.
Everyone’s hard work means the Government’s ‘roadmap’ is progressing but it’s essential that we keep sticking to the new rules.
You should continue to minimise the number of people you meet within a short period of time to limit the risk of spreading coronavirus (COVID-19). Most restrictions on meeting people outdoors have been lifted, but gatherings must not exceed 30 people unless covered by a legal exemption.
It is safer to meet people outdoors. This is because COVID-19 spreads much more easily indoors. However, you can meet up indoors with friends and family you do not live with, either:
- in a group of up to 6 from any number of households (children of all ages count towards the limit of 6)
- in a group of any size from up to two households (each household can include an existing support bubble, if eligible)
If you are meeting friends and family, you can make a personal choice on whether to keep your distance from them, but you should still be cautious.
For more information about what the current rules are please check the government’s website.
For information on celebrating religious festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic, see here.
The situation in Buckinghamshire
The number of new COVID-19 cases has continued to fall in Buckinghamshire which is great news, and cases numbers and deaths are much lower than they were at the start of the year. However, this decline has slowed and case rates are still higher than the lowest point last year. Residents are being urged to continue to exercise a lot of caution, particularly because most COVID-19 cases in this area are the new variant which is more infectious and is thought to cause more severe illness.
Please continue to access regular testing if you are leaving the house to work or volunteer or if someone in the home is going to school – either to work or as a pupil. Details of how school households can test are on the Government’s website. Otherwise, please drop in to one of our rapid testing sites for regular asymptomatic testing, the details are on our website. Please notes the sites will have limited opening hours over the Easter weekend.
More than 243,000 vaccines have now been given in Buckinghamshire – do get your vaccine when it’s your turn! It’s safe, effective and is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. To find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine and how it works please take a look at the NHS website.
Reopening information
Buckinghamshire Council is working to support the local economy during the various stages of the recovery roadmap. This includes supporting businesses in practical ways like business grants and offering streamlining applications for pavement licensing to help them extend their outdoor trading from 12 April onwards.
The council aim to encourage people back into the town centres by creating a positive experience – this will include the offer of a month of free off street parking in council car parks.
This page will be regularly updated with the latest guidance – both nationally and locally – so please do keep checking back. For more information please visit Buckinghamshire Council’s website