This is concerning that

A stark warning letter outlining the clear danger of a local lockdown facing Bath and North East Somerset is being sent to all households this week.

Residents will receive the letter from council leader Dine Romero and chief executive Will Godfrey. It urges everyone to to play their part to stop the spread of coronavirus and in so doing avoid local lockdown restrictions.

England is now operating under a three-tier coronavirus strategy which divides the nation into areas of medium, high and very high alert levels. Local lockdown restrictions apply in the high and very high areas.

Bath & North East Somerset is on medium alert level, which means when seeing friends and family you do not live with (or who are not part of your support bubble), you must not meet in a group of more than six, indoors or outdoors. In England, this limit of six includes children of any age.

But cases locally are rising and there is a real chance we will be subject to higher level restrictions unless we:

• Follow all the rules, including on hand-washing, face coverings, social distancing, and gatherings. Remember- Hands: Face: Space.
• If we have symptoms, self-isolate and book a test on 119 or online at nhs.uk/coronavirus
• Follow instructions from Test and Trace

The letter also provides essential contact and other information including how to get help if you are self-isolating and the support available for vulnerable people, as well as how to sign up for the council’s weekly e-newsletter.

The letter is available online here and if it is required in another format or another language, let us know on 01225 394041 or council_connect@bathnes.gov.uk

Councillor Dine Romero, council leader, said: “We are appealing directly to all residents because of the very serious danger facing the area if the number of Covid cases continues to rise.

“We can avoid lockdown if we follow the guidance and each take action to prevent the transmission of Covid-19. You will have heard the same message many times about hands, face, space and we are reinforcing these messages through a new series of posters at bus stops, on Park and Ride Buses, online and in our letter to residents

“As well as individual action I want to reassure you that where there are cases our public health team is working with Public Health England and those affected, to ensure practical measures are put in place to control the virus. But we are in real danger of lockdown if people don’t follow the rules.”

People are required by law to self-isolate if they test positive or are contacted by NHS Test and Trace.  If you’re asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace and you’re on a low income, unable to work from home and will lose income as a result, you may be entitled to a payment of £500 under the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme. The scheme runs until 31 January 2021.    

Local COVID alert level: medium

This is for areas where national restrictions continue to be in place.

This means:

• you must not socialise in groups larger than 6, indoors or outdoors (other than where a legal exemption applies)
• businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-secure manner, other than those that remain closed in law
• certain businesses are required to ensure customers only consume food and drink while seated, and must 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-through
• schools, colleges and universities remain open 
• places of worship remain open, subject to the rule of 6
• weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on numbers of attendees 
• exercise classes and organised sport can continue to take place outdoors, or indoors if the rule of 6 is followed; there are exceptions for supervised activities for under-18s, and disability sport

You must:

• wear a face covering in those areas where this is mandated

You should continue to:

• follow social distancing rules 
• work from home where you can effectively do so 
• when travelling, plan ahead or avoid busy times and routes; walk or cycle if you can
• Under the rule of six meeting in larger groups is against the law apart from specific exceptions where people from different households can gather in groups larger than six people.
• The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices). You can be fined £200 for the first offence, doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of over 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.
• When meeting friends and family you should also follow social distancing rules when you meet up: limit how many different people in total you see socially over any short period of time; meet people outdoors where practical.

Find out more about the measures that apply in medium alert level areas to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

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