Local News: Northampton City Center and parishes in and around NN1 (Northampton)

Step 2 of the government’s “roadmap” to return to freedom comes into effect today

Lucy Wightman, Joint Director of Public Health – North and West Northamptonshire Councils, said: “The further easing of measures today is welcome news for many of us and gives us an opportunity to try some of the things we have missed so much and enjoy. “”

Today, Monday April 12, 2021, residents of Northamptonshire and all of England will take step 2 on the four-step roadmap out of lockdown.

We’re going to see the opening of a non-essential retail store; Personal care facilities such as hairdressers and nail salons; and public buildings, including libraries and community centers. Indoor leisure facilities such as gyms will also reopen (but only for individuals or in household groups). As do most outdoor attractions and environments, including outdoor restaurants, zoos, theme parks, and drive-in theaters. Independent accommodations, such as campsites and vacation rentals, where interior furnishings are not shared with other households, can also be reopened.

Restaurants are allowed to serve people outdoors, and customers do not have to order a full meal of alcoholic beverages and no curfew, although customers do have to order, eat and drink while seated with “table service”. In all of these environments, more comprehensive rules governing social contact apply to prevent mixing between different households indoors.

Restrictions that affect life events are also relaxed. While funerals can continue with up to 30 mourners, the number of people who can attend weddings, receptions, and memorial services such as guards increases to 15.

In addition, the number of visitors to nursing homes is increasing from one to two so that residents can see more of their loved ones.

However, many restrictions remain. People should continue to work from home where they can and minimize the number of trips they make whenever possible to avoid traveling at the busiest times and on the busiest routes. Travel abroad is restricted to a small number of permissible reasons.

Lucy Wightman, Joint Director of Public Health – North and West Northamptonshire Councils, said:

“The further easing of measures today is welcome news for many of us and gives us the opportunity to venture and enjoy some of the things we have missed so much.

“I know many facilities across the county have done a fantastic job last summer in complying with the guidelines – and will do so again when they reopen. As customers, we also have to do our part! We all have to distance ourselves socially, wear our masks and wash or disinfect our hands in order to protect employees, their jobs and businesses as well as ourselves and our fellow human beings.

“The Prime Minister has asked the country to proceed with caution and not be complacent for good reason. We know for a fact that the easing of restrictions will inevitably mean that coronavirus cases will inevitably rise. However, there are ways to ensure COVID-19 cases don’t get out of hand again. We need to obey the hands, face, space and fresh air mantra as we begin our daily life and receive our first or second dose of vaccination when we are called, have regular tests and isolate immediately if the result is positive. If we do this right, we can continue to enjoy the freedoms we missed and look forward to a more secure future for all of us. ”

To remind Northamptonshire residents to stay as safe as possible while these relaxations occur, the Public Health team continues to publish its COVID-19 awareness campaign entitled, “Take care of yourself in the open air. The campaign aims to provide residents with evidence-based scientific guidance to help individuals take care of them while meeting others outside.

As outlined in the government’s roadmap to recovery, it is important that outdoor social distancing measures remain in place until data shows that can change.

Some of the key messages are:

• When outdoors, maintain a social distance of six feet and avoid close face-to-face contact, especially when shouting or laughing (aerosol droplets are larger and move farther when laughing or shouting).
• COVID-19 can be detected from surfaces such as playground equipment, railings, goals and buttons
• Bring hand sanitizer with you when you are out and use contactless payments whenever possible. Take your face covering with you in case you need it
• Please dispose of all old face coverings in a trash can. Discarded face masks carry the risk of carry-over and contribute to unwanted waste. Please dispose of them safely in a trash can
• If you meet in private gardens in particular, avoid sharing items, stay two meters away from others, including family members you do not live with, and remain vigilant about any alcohol consumption and continue to obey the instructions.

These messages will continue to appear on social media, bus stops, digital vans, and open spaces for the coming weeks. They are there to help residents get to safety and comply with guidelines. This will help us get to step three on the roadmap when the data supports it on May 17, 2021.

There are four steps in the government’s roadmap to easing restrictions. Before proceeding to the next step, the government will review the data to assess the impact of the previous step. This rating is based on four tests:

1. The vaccine delivery program continues successfully.
2. There is evidence that vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospital stays and deaths among those vaccinated.
3. Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospital admissions that would not put sustained pressure on the NHS.
4. New types of concerns do not fundamentally change our assessment of the risks.

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