We must stay alert. We must continue to control the virus and save lives.

Thanks to the sacrifice and resilience of the British people that we have succeeded in slowing the spread of coronavirus. The death rate and hospital admissions are coming down, and we have protected the NHS and saved many thousands of lives.

What to do if you have a possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection:

The symptoms are as follows:

• a high temperature
• a new, continuous cough

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.

You should only use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service if:

• you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home
• your condition gets worse
• your symptoms do not get better after 7 days

If you live alone and you have symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19), however mild, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms started.

If you, or anyone in your household, has either a high temperature or a new and continuous cough, then you should stay at home for fourteen days. The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill

It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already. Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

That means that if possible, you should not go out even to buy food or essentials, other than for exercise, and in that case at a safe distance from others. If necessary, you should ask for help from others for your daily necessities. If that is not possible, then you should do what you can to limit your social contact when you leave the house to get supplies.

If you receive support from health and social care organisations, for example if you have care provided for you through the local authority or health care system, this will continue as normal. Your health or social care provider will be asked to take additional precautions to make sure that you are protected.

For more information about staying at home please click here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

3 Tier System 

Sadly, Coronavirus cases are continuing to rise throughout the country. If infections continue to rise at this rate, then in just four more weeks those hospitals could be treating more Covid patients than they did at the peak of the first wave.
 
Although we are far better prepared for this second wave of the pandemic than we were in March; we must continue to act to control the spread of the virus and protect the NHS.
Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with local leaders to tackle local outbreaks with targeted restrictions. This has saved lives, and has avoided the need to apply those measures nationally.  
 
The government is committed to ensuring the right levels of intervention are taking place in the right places to manage outbreaks. However, this has led to different rules in different parts of the country which have become increasingly hard to understand and to enforce.

We have already simplified national rules where possible; the Rule of Six and Hands, Face, Space. There are now 3 local COVID alert levels:

 Local COVID Alert Level – Medium 
This is for areas where national restrictions continue to be in place. This means:

• All businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law, such as nightclubs.
• Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to close between 10pm and 5am. Businesses and venues selling food for consumption off the premises can continue to do so after 10pm as long as this is through delivery service, click-and-collect or drive-thru.
• Schools, universities and places of worship remain open
• Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees
• Organised indoor sport and exercise classes can continue to take place, provided the Rule of 6 is followed
• People must not meet in groups larger than 6, indoors or outdoors.

 
 Local COVID Alert Level - High 
This is for areas with a higher level of infections. This means the following additional measures are in place:

• People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place
• People must not meet in a group of more than 6 outside, including in a garden or other space.
• People should aim to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible. If they need to travel, they should walk or cycle where possible, or to plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport.
•  

 Local COVID Alert Level - Very High 
This is for areas with a very high level of infections. The following additional measures are in place:

• Pubs and bars must close. They can only remain open where they operate as if they were a restaurant.
• Wedding receptions are not allowed
• People must not meet with anybody outside their household or support bubble in any indoor or outdoor setting, whether at home or in a public space
• People should try to avoid travelling outside the ‘Very High’ area they are in, or entering a ‘Very High’ area, other than for things like work, education, accessing youth services, to meet caring responsibilities or if they are in transit.
• People should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if they are resident in a ‘Very High’ area, or avoid staying overnight in a ‘Very High’ area if they are resident elsewhere.

To find out more about the levels and what category you fall into, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-levels-what-you-need-to-know

For the most up to date information about COVID-19 please visit: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus