“It’s not over yet”.
That is the message from Ann Thomson, leader of Barrow Borough Council, as coronavirus restrictions are set to be eased from Monday.
From next week, people from two households – or in a group of no more than six – can meet outside including in their own gardens.
Other restrictions remain in place however including the wearing of masks in essential shops and other indoor public places as well as staying two metres apart from anyone not in your household or household bubble.
Residents are being urged to stick to social distancing rules in a bid to continue to drive out coronavirus so that further restrictions can be lifted at the next stage in the Government’s roadmap to recovery.
“My heartfelt thanks go to everyone across the borough who has stuck to the rules throughout this lockdown so we could get to this point,” said Ann Thomson.
“Being kept apart from family, friends and loved ones for such a long period has been so hard. But, together with the rollout of the vaccine, it has been life-saving, there’s no doubt about that.
“Now, we are finally at the point where we can meet another household outside or a group of no more than six people. This is such welcome news – we all want that face to face contact that we’ve been without this year.
“But I would also urge people to be careful – this isn’t over yet. Maintain social distancing, wash your hands and wear a mask. It would be a tragedy for us to let this virus gain a foothold in our borough once again.”
From Monday, March 29, the public will be able to:
– Meet people from one other household outdoors or meet as a group of no more than six
– Take part in organised outdoor sports
– Some outdoor leisure activities can resume such as tennis and bowling
Indoor leisure activities and organised sports remain closed at this time and non-essential retail businesses also remain closed.
Travel is not yet allowed and people are urged to continue to stay local to avoid allowing the virus to spread.
Cllr Thomson added: “I am so proud of the efforts everyone has made to look after each other over the last year, something we are renowned for across our borough.
“Please keep going so we can continue to move towards the lifting of more restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.”
