This information is based on the latest government guidance published on the third national lockdown on 4th January 2021. Additional information from Calderdale Council on January 6, 2021.
What are the main things we need to know about the Calderdale Lockdown?
- Schools and colleges to immediately close other than for the children of key workers and vulnerable children
- Nurseries and early year provisions to remain open
- Support bubbles and childcare bubbles are still permitted
- You are allowed to go outdoors to exercise in your local area. You must exercise alone, with your household, with your support bubble or with one other person.
- Everyone must stay home except for essential reasons such as food shopping, exercise within the local area and medical appointments.
Where can you go in lockdown?
- Going outdoors for recreation is not permitted- it must only be for exercise. Note: recreational picnics are not allowed, although it seems to indicate that if you were to take sustenance on a longer walk, for example, that would be permitted.
- Playgrounds are remaining open for children to exercise.
- Local parks and countryside
- Public gardens and grounds of heritage sites are also permitted to remain open
- Support groups that have to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support – but they must take place at a premises other than a private home
- Essential retail and market stalls are permitted to remain open
- You can still attend medical appointments
Services in Calderdale
- Waste collections – currently continuing as normal.
- Household Waste Recycling Centres – open
- Parks and playground areas – open
- Markets – council-run markets remain open for market stalls selling essential retail.
- Libraries – Halifax Central Library and other hub libraries (check website for details) will remain open for click and collect service and to provide access to IT and digital services for people who do not have it at home. The library home delivery service will also continue.
- Register Office – open for birth registrations and notice appointments. Death registrations will continue over the phone.
- Weddings – existing bookings have been postponed (further guidance is available at https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/service-updates#notice-of-marriage).
- Burials and cremations – 20 mourners can sit inside during a cremation service and 8 in the overflow area. Up to six people can attend the ashes being scattered. Up to 28 mourners can attend a burial, and up to 6 people an ashes interment. More information available here.
- Leisure facilities – closed
- Outdoor/green gyms – closed
- Non-essential shops must close, but can operate a click and collect service
- Hospitality venues must close, but can provide a food takeaway service
- Theatres – closed
Leader of Calderdale Council, Councillor Tim Swift, said: “COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Calderdale and there is growing pressure on the hospital. We are at critical risk if we don’t step up the action we’ve been taking in recent months.
“In line with government guidance we’ve made some additional changes to our services to protect staff and our communities. We all need to take the simple actions of staying at home, limiting contact with others, wearing face coverings, self-isolating when necessary and washing our hands.
“We continue to work with our partners in the NHS to support the rollout of the vaccines, and many people will already have received their first dose. As more of our most vulnerable residents get vaccinated, the more hope we have of returning to some kind of normality this year. We also have a strong local test and trace system in Calderdale, which is performing better than the national and regional average.”
Calderdale Council’s Director for Public Health, Deborah Harkins, said: “Although we’ve been living under restrictions in Calderdale for some time, unfortunately we now return to a period of strict national lockdown.
“COVID-19 rates are increasing across the country and in Calderdale. Since Christmas we’ve seen a rapid rise in the number of cases in the borough and our local NHS is under pressure.
“Worryingly, the new variant is also present in Calderdale, although thankfully cases of this new strain are currently lower than in other parts of the country. It’s critical that we do all we can to keep it this way.
“We must all stay at home. This is the single most important action we can all take to protect ourselves, our communities, the NHS and save lives. The situation is serious and we all have a responsibility to do all we can to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
Information about shielding: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
Information about local support: https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/help/support-vulnerable
Support for businesses: https://www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/coronavirus/businesses/grants
For detailed guidance about the new national lockdown restrictions, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
Want some ideas on what do do on lockdown? We’re getting a nice long list together here!
