This content was last updated on 5 November 2020
While we wait for further information about what tier Preston will be in from 3 December 2020, you may find the GOV.UK details on the "Winter Plan" helpful.
This page is accurate based on the information and guidance we have received from government. We will update this page with any further information we receive.
Government has announced a second national lockdown, starting 00.01 Thursday 5 November.
It is recommended that you minimise time spent outside your home. When you must go out, please ensure you are two metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble.
The reasons you may leave your home include:
You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household - meaning the people you live with - or support bubble.
You can exercise or visit outdoor public places with the people you live with, your support bubble, or 1 person from another household (children under school age, as well as those dependent on round-the-clock care, such as those with severe disabilities, who are with their parents, or dependent adult, will not count towards the limit on two people meeting outside).
You cannot meet in a private garden.
The Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close, including:
Please note: non-essential retail can remain open for delivery to customers and click-and-collect. Customers may not enter the store while collecting goods.
A full list of the business closures will be published by Government and set out in law.
All businesses and venues that remain open should follow COVID-secure guidelines to protect customers, visitors and workers.
A number of public services will also stay open and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:
A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households in that support bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit outdoor public places together.
For the latest information on coronavirus testing in Preston, please visit our Coronavirus testing page, using the button below.
View our Coronavirus testing page
You may be asked to self-isolate for a number of reasons including a positive test for you, someone in your household, if you've been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service or whether you are experiencing coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.
For more information on the importance of self-isolating as well as accessing the Test and Trace Support Payment for people on low income who are required to self-isolate, please visit our self-isolating page.
View information on self-isolating due to coronavirus
Places of Worship will be closed, unless they are being used for:
Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people, and Government have advised that only close friends and family attend.
Linked ceremonial events such as stone settings and ash scatterings can also continue with up to 15 people in attendance.
Anyone working is not included. Social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a support bubble.
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be permitted to take place except in exceptional circumstances.
Everyone who can work effectively from home must do so. Where this is not possible (such as critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing) they should continue to travel to work and attend their workplace.
Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work.
All work places must closely follow Covid-secure guidelines, and extra consideration should be given to those at higher risk.
If you live at university, you must not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time. You should only return home at the end of term for Christmas.
We expect further guidance will be published by Government nearer to this time.
Parents will still be able to access some registered childcare and other childcare activities (including wraparound care) where reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, or for the purposes of respite care.
Early years settings can remain open.
Some youth services may be able to continue, such as 1 - 1 youth work and support groups, but most youth clubs and groups will need to cease for this period.
Parents are able to form a childcare bubble with another household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under. As above, some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble, which allows single adult households to join another household.
If you have been defined as clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus you should work from home. Please stay at home as much as possible, except for exercise outdoors.
If you cannot work from home there may be support such as Statutory Sick Pay (SS) or Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
If you are clinically vulnerable, you are reminded to minimise contact with others, carefully follow the rules and continue to thoroughly wash your hands, as well as frequently touched areas of your home and workspace.
You must not travel if you are experiencing any coronavirus symptoms, are self-isolating as a result of coronavirus symptoms, are sharing a household or support bubble with somebody with symptoms, or have been told to self-isolate after being contacted by NHS Test and Trace.
You are encouraged to reduce the journeys you make. However you can travel for the following reasons:
Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed. This includes holidays abroad and in the UK.
It also means you cannot stay in a second home, if you own one, or staying with anyone you do not live with or are in a support bubble with. There are specific exceptions, for example if you need to stay away from home (including in a second home) for work purposes, but this means people cannot travel overseas or within the UK, unless for work, education or other legally permitted reasons.
If you need to use public transport - to travel to work for example - you should follow the safer travel guidance. This includes the rules on wearing face masks and advice on car sharing.
If you are a business owner please visit our COVID-19 Business support and advice pages to find out more information.
For the latest data in your area please visit Public Health England and Lancashire County Council's website.
If you are concerned about the implementation of COVID secure measures in a business, workplace or other public building please report this by using our Coronavirus report form.
For the latest information on coronavirus testing in Preston, please visit our Coronavirus testing page, using the button below.
You may be asked to self-isolate for a number of reasons including a positive test for you, someone in your household, if you've been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service or whether you are experiencing coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.
For more information on the importance of self-isolating as well as accessing the Test and Trace Support Payment for people on low income who are required to self-isolate, please visit our self-isolating page.
View information on self-isolating due to coronavirus
All workplaces should be implementing COVID secure measures.
Anyone who cannot work from home should go to their place of work, carefully following the measures in place.
If you are able to work from home, with your employers consent, you should do so.
Public sector employees working in essential services should continue to go into work as necessary.
Those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable can go to work as long as the workplace is COVID-19 Secure. However, if you are able to work from home you should do so.
There are no group size limits when gathering/meeting for work purposes but all workplaces should be set up to meet Covid-19 Secure guidelines.
For a comprehensive list of COVID-19 symptoms visit NHS - COVID-19.
If you are displaying these symptoms or feel unwell please get tested as soon as possible. Where practical please avoid the use of taxis or public transport to attend a testing site.
Help for vulnerable people is still available via Preston Together
For the latest guidance and exemptions visit GOV.UK - Face coverings - when to wear one and how to make your own.
The new legislation means it's a legal requirement to wear a face covering in shops and supermarkets.
Police can issue fines of £200 for non-compliance and have the powers to enforce the requirement to wear face coverings in certain premises and on public transport.
You can report any non-compliance Covid-19 issues to the Police using their Covid-19 online report form.
On public transport, for example, those who obstruct or ignore orders from police "without reasonable excuse" commit an offence and can be prosecuted.
From Thursday 24 September you must wear a face covering in pubs, cafes and restaurants except when seated at a table to eat or drink. This means you must wear a face covering when being shown to a table, when leaving the venue and when going to and from toilet facilities.
From Tuesday 22 September the list of places where members of the public are required to wear a face covering has expanded.
There are different rules for customers and employees regarding the wearing of a face covering. Exemptions do still apply and employees who are unsure should contact their employer for further guidance.
You must wear a face covering, unless exempt:
GOV.UK provides guidance on the use of face coverings at work.
Employers must make sure that the risk assessment for their business addresses the risks of COVID-19 using BEIS guidance to inform decisions and control measures including close proximity working.
From 24 September:
If you are unsure of how this applies to you, please contact your employer
Some people are exempt from face covering, including:
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