The Government announced this week that the COVID-19 measures put in place under Plan B in England will be lifted.
This means:
- The Government is no longer asking people to work from home if they can. People should now talk to their employers to agree arrangements to return to the office.
- Face coverings are no longer advised for staff and pupils in secondary school and college classrooms.
- From 27 January: There will no longer be a legal requirement to wear a face covering, but the Government suggests that you continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where you may come into contact with other people you do not normally meet.
- From 27 January: Venues and events will no longer be required by law to check visitors’ NHS COVID Pass. The NHS COVID Pass can still be used on a voluntary basis.
- From 27 January: Face coverings will no longer be advised for staff and pupils in communal areas of secondary schools, nor for staff in communal areas of primaries.
- The guidance is due to be updated shortly to include more information on these changes.
COVID-19 case rates in Swindon remain high and the virus will be a feature of our lives for the foreseeable future, so we need to learn to live safely and manage the risk to ourselves and others.
We all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to protect others and to reduce the risk of new variants developing and spreading.
Remember: anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. If you have symptoms, you should arrange to take a PCR test as soon as possible, even if you’ve had one or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. If you take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) you no longer need to take a follow-up PCR but must still isolate.
Around 22,500 people in Swindon who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine have yet to come forward. It’s never too late to book a vaccine – getting fully vaccinated is the best way of protecting you and others.
Visit the Council’s website (click on the ‘Getting vaccinated’ section) for details of walk-in clinics in Swindon and information on a free return taxi journey to a COVID-19 vaccination site for eligible residents.
For more information read the full E-newsletter.