As lockdown restrictions start to ease, Gloucestershire County Council is asking residents to keep following the rules for a little while longer, saying ‘keep going, it will be worth it.’
As of Monday 29 March 2021, up to six people or two households can meet outdoors; people can use outdoor leisure facilities like tennis and basketball courts; and take part in organised outdoor sports.
During this time, Gloucestershire County Council is continuing to highlight the importance of hands, face, space and fresh air – with everyone encouraged to keep washing their hands more frequently, wearing a mask and avoid touching their face, maintaining social distancing and spending time outside where fresh air makes it more difficult for Coronavirus to spread.
Although the Stay at Home order is no longer in place, Gloucestershire residents should continue to work from home wherever possible and minimise travel.
There are also changes to Covid-19 testing in Gloucestershire. Previously, people who couldn’t work from home or who had to leave the house to care for others, could access regular rapid testing using Lateral Flow Devices (or LFDs) by booking a test at one of the county’s four community testing sites.
Under the new arrangements, everyone in Gloucestershire will have the option of using a testing centre, collecting a testing kit, or ordering a test online to use at home – providing they don’t have any symptoms.
Anyone with Covid-19 symptoms should self-isolate and get a PCR Covid-19 test – either from a PCR test centre or by ordering a home test kit online.
Gloucestershire County Council is also encouraging residents to have their Covid-19 vaccination when invited. Anyone who is eligible and hasn’t taken up their invite yet should contact their GP or book online.
Covid-19 cases in Gloucestershire are coming down, but they could increase again as people start to mix and if they don’t follow the guidance.
If everyone in Gloucestershire sticks to the rules and eligible people get their vaccinations, we should all be able to get back to a more normal way of life much sooner.
For the very latest information on Covid-19 in Gloucestershire, visit gloucestershire.gov.uk.
