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Dan Hatherall November 05, 2020 A 2 minute read

Second Lockdown: What are the new rules from 5th November 2020?

New lockdown rules were introduced in England from just after midnight last night (Thursday 5th November 20202). Pubs, restaurants, gyms, and non-essential shops will close for four weeks.

These new measures are intended to reduce the growth rate of COVID-19, protect the NHS and ensure that as many people as possible can continue to work.

It’s up to all of us to play our part to avoid overwhelming the NHS. That means living by the restrictions in place and continuing to follow the rules.

From Thursday, 5 November until Wednesday, 2 December, you must:

  1. Stay at home, except for specific purposes
  2. Avoid meeting people you do not live with, except for specific purposes
  3. Close certain businesses and venues

The Government’s overarching health messages remain the same: ‘Hands. Face. Space.’

  • Hands – wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds
  • Face – wear a face-covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
  • Space – stay two metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or one metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors)

Read more about the new restrictions in more detail.

Here are some of the key things to remember:

  • In general, you must not meet people socially. However, you can exercise or meet in a public, outdoor setting with people you live with, your support bubble or with one other person. You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble
  • If you need medical attention for other ailments, you are encouraged to go to hospital if you need to or contact your GP
  • If you can work effectively from home, you must. Where you cannot, you should continue to travel to your workplace while following the COVID-secure guidelines
  • You can still move home, though people outside your household or support bubble should not help unless absolutely necessary