New COVID-19 restrictions proposed for Cheshire West and Chester

New restrictions will be introduced in West Cheshire following the Government’s announcement about a new system of measures for England.

This introduces three Local COVID Alert Levels – medium, high and very high ­– and categorises the borough as high.

Under the proposals:

• People must not socialise with anybody outside of their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
• People must not socialise in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other spaces like beaches or parks.
• Businesses and venues can continue to operate, in a COVID-Secure manner, other than those which remain closed in law.
• Certain businesses selling food or drink on their premises are required to 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, universities and places of worship remain open.
• Weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees.
• Exercise classes and organised sport can continue to take place outdoors. These will only be permitted indoors if it is possible for people to avoid mixing with people they do not live with (or share a support bubble with).
• People can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, for work or to access education but should look to reduce the number of journeys they make where possible.

The proposals will be considered by Parliament and, subject to approval, will be introduced from Wednesday, 14 October.

The Council wrote to the Government on 30 September to express concern about the current infection rate and to request stricter measures and a support package for residents and businesses to curb the spread of the virus.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “With a heavy heart, I support these regulations as a necessary step to keep the rate of infections under control, protect the health of our communities and help take the pressure off our schools, NHS, care settings and key workers.  

“However, the new restrictions have been imposed without any further clarity on the funding and powers that we requested to support our response.

“We cannot allow this to be a stepping stone to even more restrictions. To turn this around we will continue to make the case for further financial support and more responsibility for local testing, contact tracing, enforcement and support to our businesses.

“We expect these restrictions to be in place for the foreseeable future, or until the infection rate reduces, and we will keep residents and local businesses informed about any further changes in the future.”

Ian Ashworth, Director of Public Health for Cheshire West, said: “We recognise that residents have come a long way since March. Many have adapted to a new way of life and are following the public health guidelines.

“This new ruling preventing household mixing is necessary to reduce the spread of the virus and we encourage everyone to play their part for their community by remaining in their own household and support bubble.

“We would like to remind everyone to continue to wash their hands, cover their faces, keep their physical distance from people who aren’t in their household. Call 119 or use the national portal https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or if you have symptoms to get tested.”

For the latest information about the restrictions and how they will affect west Cheshire visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/covidrestrictions or call: 0300 123 8 123.