Coming out of lockdown – Friday July 17th 17.30pm-18.30pm
Saturday, July 4th, marks a major milestone in our road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic which has totally upended our lives. From Saturday we will be able to go to our local pub, bar and restaurant or book a night or two away in a hotel, B&B, caravan or mobile home for the first time in more than three months. From this weekend one household can visit another and stay overnight so families can be reunited at last and people are finally allowed to stay in their second homes and at last we can have our hair cut. This came about because the Prime Minister was able to reduce the Alert Level from 4 to 3 to take us to the next stage following recommendations from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and the chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
There are still some businesses, including gyms, swimming pools, casinos, nail bars and beauty salons which are still waiting for the green light and I very much hope that this will come in mid-July. All this comes nearly three weeks after the announcement that non-essential retails shops could re-open and some sporting fixtures could take place behind closed doors. Task forces have been created to work with the remaining sectors including the Theatre and the Arts to find a way forward so they can open as soon as possible.
This is all great news because it will mean that, at last, we can get the economy back up and running and save as many businesses and livelihoods as possible.
In order that we can ensure that being open for business can be done safely and to prevent a second spike of transmission cases which might involve re-imposing restrictions we all must follow strict guidelines. I am mindful that going into lockdown is much easier that coming out so I wanted to offer you an opportunity to put your questions to me about the new rules and how they are working for you. I am holding a public meeting – virtually of course – on Friday July 17th between 5.30pm to 6.30pm when you can ask me questions relating to the lockdown measures.
If you would like to secure a place please contact me on [email protected]
This meeting is for constituents only. Please send your address in the email.