Coronavirus (COVID-19)

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

A support bubble is a support network which links 2 households. You have to meet certain eligibility rules to form a support bubble. This means not everyone will be able to form a support bubble.

Further guidance from the UK Government regarding eligibility can be found here.

You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

You can leave your home to exercise. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

Colleges, primary (reception onwards) and secondary schools will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term.

University students who are undertaking training and study for specific courses [outlined by the UK Government] should return to face to face learning as planned and be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days:

Students who do not study courses outlined by the Government should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online, as facilitated by their university until at least Mid-February.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

If you live in a household with anyone aged under 14, you can form a ‘childcare bubble’. This allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

UK Government financial support packages for business
UK Government financial support for closed businesses
UK Government claim for employee wages through Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
UK Government claim a grant through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
Financial support if you’re off work because of Coronavirus

To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. The full list of businesses required to close can be found in the [UK Government's] guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

A support bubble connects a household with one other in order to provide support. Once you are in a support bubble with another household, you can consider yourself as being in one ‘household’. You can have close contact with the other household in your support bubble as if they were members of your own household. This means you do not need to maintain social distance with people in your support bubble.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

You have to meet certain eligibility rules to form a support bubble. This means not everyone will be able to form a support bubble.

You can form a support bubble with another household of any size if:

• you live by yourself – even if carers visit you to provide support
• you are a single adult living with one or more children who are under the age of 18 or were under that age on 12 June 2020
• your household includes a child who is under the age of one or was under that age on 2 December 2020
• your household includes a child with a disability who requires continuous care and is under the age of 5, or was under that age on 2 December 2020
• you are aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults
• you are the only adult in your household who does not need continuous care as a result of a disability
• You should not form a Support Bubble with a household that is part of another Support Bubble.
• Ideally, Support Bubbles should be formed between households that live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading between areas.

Further guidance from the UK Government can be found here.

Your GP will contact you with the time, date and place for your vaccination. Please don’t contact them.

No. The specific vaccine you are given will depend entirely on which one is available on the day of your vaccination. Your second dose will be of the same vaccine.

Yes. The first dose takes 2-3 weeks before it becomes effective, so it is best to follow the shielding advice.

Yes.

The Chancellor announced on 5 January that businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000. Specifically:

• £4,000 for businesses in a property with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £6,000 for businesses in a property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £9,000 for businesses in a property with a rateable value of over £51,000

It isn't clear how this latest grant will be paid or whether businesses will have to apply for it, but previously this sort of grant funding was paid automatically by HMRC.

A further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants. Businesses should apply to their Local Authorities.

The Chancellor’s announcement on 5 January also mentions an extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), but gives no further details, nor any support for those that don't qualify for SEISS.