The Prime Minister has this afternoon made a statement to the House of Commons outlining further measures in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus. The PM’s statement can be found at: https://bit.ly/3hUilKI

From tomorrow, Wednesday 23 September, office workers who are able to work from home should do so and the requirement for customers to wear face coverings will be extended to all users of taxis and private hire vehicles.

From Thursday 24 September measures including the following will be introduced:
• pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, except for takeaways;
• hospitality venues must close at 10pm (which means closing, not last orders). The same will apply to takeaways, although deliveries can continue;
• the requirement to wear face coverings will be extended to include retail staff and staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink; and
• covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations in retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors.
Furthermore, from Monday 28 September a maximum of 15 people may attend weddings, while 30 may attend funerals. Business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events will not be reopened from 1 October.

These new measures will be enforced by tighter penalties. Guidance on the additional measures will be made available on Gov.uk.