Coronavirus: Northern Ireland to go into four-week partial lockdown | The Guardian - Rory Carroll:
October 14, 2020 - "Northern Ireland is to close schools, pubs and restaurants as part of new restrictions to try to contain exploding rates of Covid-19 infection. Arlene Foster, the first minister, announced the partial lockdown on Wednesday at a special sitting of the Stormont assembly.... The new rules take effect from Friday and are to last four weeks with the exception of schools, which will shut for two weeks.
"The hospitality sector will close apart from deliveries and takeaways. Off-licences and supermarkets cannot sell alcohol after 8pm. There will be no indoor sport or organised contact sport involving mixing of households, other than at elite level. Close-contact services, apart from essential health services, are to cease. Mobile hairdressers and makeup artists are banned from working in homes. Gyms can remain open for individual training but no classes are permitted. Places of worship can stay open but people must wear face coverings when entering and exiting.
"'Bubbles' will be limited to 10 people from two households, with no overnight stays unless people are in a bubble. Universities will be encouraged to use distance learning only.... Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party,... said the measures did not amount to a lockdown and promised financial support to cushion businesses. Some business leaders had lobbied against fresh restrictions, warning of bankruptcies and job losses.
"Foster implored people and businesses to get 'back to the basics' of social distancing, hand hygiene and other measures and hinted at further measures should infection rates continue to climb.... Northern Ireland’s cumulative seven-day rate of infections per 100,000 people is 334, one of the highest in Europe.... On Wednesday, Northern Ireland’s department of health reported four deaths and a further 1,217 infections, raising the totals since the pandemic began to 602 deaths and 23,115 infections."
Covid: Wales to go into 'firebreak' lockdown from Friday | BBC News:
October 19, 2020 - "Wales will go into a 'short, sharp' national lockdown from Friday until 9 November. People will be told to stay at home and pubs, restaurants, hotels and non-essential shops must shut. Primary schools will reopen after the half-term break, but only Years 7 and 8 in secondary schools can return at that time under new 'firebreak' rules. Gatherings indoors and outdoors with people not in your household will also be banned.
"First Minister Mark Drakeford said the 'time-limited firebreak' would be 'a short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and buy us more time'. Without action the NHS would not be able to cope, Mr Drakeford told a press conference....
"Under the lockdown leisure businesses, community centres, libraries and recycling centres will shut. Places of worship will be closed for normal services, except for funerals and weddings.... Halloween and Bonfire Night gatherings will not be allowed under the restrictions.... But there will be an exception for small Remembrance Sunday commemoration services on 8 November. Non-essential cross border travel in and out of Wales 'will have to end' during the firebreak period, Mr Drakeford said....
- People will have to stay at home except for very limited reasons, such as exercise
- People must work from home where they can
- People must not visit other households or meet other people they do not live with either indoors and outdoors
- All non-food retail will shut, and cafes, restaurants and pubs will close unless they provide delivery or takeaways
- Hotels, hairdressers and beauticians will have to shut
- People breaching the rules could be fined, with fixed penalty notices starting at £60.
"The previous lockdown continued for months past its initial three weeks, but Mr Drakeford said the firebreak would end on 9 November."
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54598136
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