UPDATE: FRIDAY 2 OCTOBER
New and additional coronavirus restrictions are being brought in to Liverpool City Region from this weekend. These are on top of the measures previously outlined on 22 September.
Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, along with Warrington, will be brought in line with the latest measures announced on Monday in the north east.
From 00.01 Saturday 3 October, residents must not meet anyone outside their household or bubble in any indoor setting, including private homes and gardens and the likes of pubs and restaurants. These measures will be enforceable by law and subject to fines.
It is also recommended people should not meet with anyone outside their household or bubble in outdoor public spaces, such as parks and outdoor hospitality.
Schools and COVID-secure settings are not affected and remain open. Residents in these areas are also advised to only travel for essential reasons, such as going to work, or school, getting food, medicine or for health and wellbeing related reasons. Residents are also encouraged to walk or cycle where possible.
We have updated the Frequently Asked Questions below to reflect these new measures. Further information will be added when we receive it.
What are the new and existing measures?
• Residents must not socialise with other people outside of their own households or support bubble in private homes and gardens
• Hospitality for food and drink will be restricted to table service only
• Late night restriction of operating hours will be introduced, with leisure and entertainment venues required to close between 10pm to 5am
• Takeaways will not be able to sell alcohol or food from 10pm to 5am, but can deliver
Residents are also advised to adhere to the following guidance to further reduce rates of infection:
• Only use public transport for essential purposes, such as travelling to school or work, getting food, medicine or for health and wellbeing related reasons
• Holidays should be taken only with people from your own household or support bubble
• Not attend amateur and semi-professional sporting events as spectators.
Where are the measures being introduced in our area?
Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens, Halton and Warrington.
Why are the measures being introduced?
These measures will help to address the significant rise in coronavirus cases in the region in recent weeks.
There is an increased risk of transmission the more people who gather together. Our data shows an increased rate of transmission in homes, at parties, pubs and restaurants.
We are doing everything we can to protect our most vulnerable, keep businesses open and children in school, which these measures will help with.
How long will it last?
The Government has announced that most of the national measures will be in place until March 2021. The additional measures introduced on 3 October will be reviewed fortnightly.
What are the household rules?
You must not meetpeople who do not live with you or are not part of your support bubble, in your own house or garden, unless for the specific purposes mentioned below. And you should not meetpeople outside of your household and social bubble elsewhere.
People should only come inside your home for specific purposes:
• where everyone in the gathering lives together or is in the same support bubble
• to attend a birth at the mother’s request
• to visit a person who is dying (the visitor can be someone the dying person lives with, a close family member, friend or, if none of those is visiting, anyone else)
• to fulfil a legal obligation
• for work purposes, or for the provision of voluntary or charitable services
• for the purposes of education or training
• for the purposes of childcare provided by a registered provider
• for the purposes of childcare for children under the age of 14 or vulnerable adults, when it is necessary for caring purposes
• to provide emergency assistance
• to enable one or more persons in the gathering to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm
• to facilitate a house move
• to provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
• to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children where the children do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents.
Do any of the measures affect childcare?
You can continue to use early years and childcare settings, including childminders and providers offering before or after school clubs or other out-of-school settings for children. You can also continue to employ nannies, including those living outside of the region.
Children of parents who are separated can continue to move between households.
Formal and informal arrangements for caring for children under 14 or vulnerable adults can continue. An example would include where a grandparent looks after a child so a parent can go out to work. Or taking them and picking them up from school. It does not allow for play dates and parties.
What is a support bubble?
A support bubble is a close support network between a household with only one adult in the home (known as a single-adult household) and one other household of any size.
Once you’re in a support bubble, you can think of yourself as being in a single household with people from the other household. It means you can have close contact with that household as if they were members of your own household.
Once you make a support bubble, you should not change who is in your bubble.
You should not have multiple bubbles.
Do these measures affect access to education?
No. Schools, colleges and universities remain open and are operating in a COVID-secure way. University students must follow the specific guidance and rules set by their university.
Does my child need to wear a face covering at school?
Unless exempt, in education settings where students in Year 7 and above are educated, including middle schools, face coverings should be worn by staff, visitors and students when moving around in corridors and communal areas.
Parents must wear a face covering when dropping off and picking up children at school, and socially distance from others.
Can I travel outside the area for work or school?
Yes, people living inside and outside of these areas can continue to travel for work or school. Workplaces and schools themselves should also be implementing Covid-secure measures.
Can I go to someone’s house in an area not subject to the restrictions?
You should not visit anyone’s home inside or outside of the restricted area (except for your support bubble).
Can I go to a care home?
You should not visit friends or family in care homes, other than in exceptional circumstances. An example would include someone receiving end-of-life care. Care homes should restrict visits to these circumstances.
If you are planning to visit relatives in care homes outside the affected areas, then check with the care home prior to travelling to ensure that they are still open to visits from family members.
What are the changes for the hospitality venues?
The following must close from 10pm to 5am:
• Pubs
• Bars and restaurants (including hotel dining rooms and members’ clubs)
• Cafes including workplace canteens (but not including cafes or canteens at hospitals, care homes, prisons, establishments intended for the use of naval, military or air force purposes and for providing food or drink to the homeless)
• Social clubs
• Cinemas
• Theatres
• Casinos
• Bingo halls and concert halls
• Amusement arcades or other indoor leisure centres or facilities
• Static/fixed funfairs (indoors or outdoors), theme parks, and adventure parks and activities
During opening hours (5am to 10pm), there should be table service-only, including ordering drinks and food.
As elsewhere in the country, venues must also take details of customers for NHS Test and Trace.
Between 10pm and 5am each day hot food takeaways can only operate a delivery service.
Travelling funfairs are also prohibited.
Can I still go to a hospitality venue or public venues with people who don’t live with me?
From 00.01 Saturday 3 October, residents must not meet anyone outside their household or bubble in any indoor setting, including private homes and gardens and the likes of pubs and restaurants. These measures will be enforceable by law and subject to fines.
People also should not meet with anyone outside their household or bubble in outdoor public spaces, such as parks and outdoor hospitality.
People are advised to only visit COVID-safe premises that are visibly adhering to the guidelines.
Customers need to wear a face covering when not sat at a table for food or drink, and staff must wear one at all times.
Why can I visit the pub but not my relative’s house?
This is because the hospitality industry has enhanced measures, such as risk assessments and test and trace, which private homes don’t have.
Can I buy food or drink from takeaways from 10pm – 5am?
No. However, takeaways can deliver to your home if you place an order by phone or online.
Are rules changing for other businesses?
Businesses need to display the official NHS QR code posters so that customers can ‘check-in’ at different premises using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details once the app is rolled out nationally. In addition, guidance stating that face coverings and visors should be worn in close contact services will now become law.
Businesses and organisations have to make their premises COVID-Secure. The rules are:
Leisure and entertainment venues, services provided in community centres, and close contact services are subject to the COVID-19 Secure requirements in law and fines of up to £10,000 for repeated breaches.
Employers must not knowingly require or encourage someone who is being required to self-isolate to come to work.
Businesses must remind people to wear face coverings where mandated.
Working from home
To help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter.
Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so.
Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary.
Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work.
The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk.
Can my wedding go ahead?
The number of people attending a wedding has been reduced to 15 from 30.
Anyone working at these ceremonies or events are not included as part of the person limit.
These events should comply with the COVID-19 secure guidance and venue capacity. See detailed guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships.
Can people living outside Merseyside come to my wedding?
People living outside of Merseyside can travel to our area to attend a wedding, civil partnership ceremony or funeral, but they must not meet with another household in a private home or garden.
How many people can attend a funeral?
A maximum of 30 people should attend a funeral.
Anyone working at these ceremonies or events are not included as part of the person limit.
You cannot host a wake for anyone outside your own household or support bubble in your home or garden.
Can we have a wake in a public venue?
Gatherings in a hospitality setting are limited to 6 people and you must socially distance with those not from your household.
Do the restrictions apply to places of worship?
You may attend a mosque, church, synagogue, temple or other place or worship, but you should socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings).
If possible, prayer or religious services should take place outdoors.
What are the changes to playing sports?
Unless formally organised by a sports club or similar organisation, with guidance issued by a sports governing body, team sports should not take place at an indoor venue with people who you don’t live with. A maximum of six people are allowed to take part in an adult team sport.
As a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Liverpool City Council and its partners would like to inform all adult and junior football leagues and teams who use Liverpool City Council operated grass and 3g football pitches of the following guidance and restrictions with regard to spectators attending any amateur football matches.
In line with government and Football Association guidance the following applies:
No spectators are allowed to attend any adult amateur football match taking place on Liverpool City Council operated grass or 3g pitches. Only the referee, players and manager of each team should attend matches
For junior football matches, a maximum of one parent or guardian will be allowed to attend a match with their child for the duration of their fixture. Please leave promptly at the end of the fixture.
We understand that this request may cause some inconvenience but this is made to enable the safe continuation of grass roots football. Liverpool City Council will continue to take proactive community-focused steps to help control the spread of the virus in the city.
Use of pavilions and facilities
We would also like to remind teams that where we have pavilions and facilities on site these remain accessible for use of the toilets only, changing rooms and showers remain closed.
Anyone entering the building needs to scan the QR codes clearly displayed in the communal areas to access the NHS Track and Trace app.
Team signing in sheets remain in use and should be completed promptly on arrival. For those teams that play on 3g hub sites the signing in process already in place at these facilities should continue to be followed.
Can I travel to play sport outside of the areas with restrictions?
Yes.
Can I go to the gym, gym class or a swimming pool?
Yes, as long as these venues have the required Covid-secure risk assessments and guidelines in place. You should stay 2 metres away from other people.
Can I go to the park and other outdoor space with others?
It is not recommended that you arrange to meet outside with anyone outside of your household or bubble.
Can I have someone in my house (or go into someone’s house) to do repairs or other work?
Official/registered tradespeople can go to other people’s homes for work purposes as long as you follow national guidance on how to work safely there.
Can I still go on holiday?
You can still go on holiday within the UK or abroad, but you should only do this with people you live with (or have formed a support bubble with). You need to follow any rules in the area you visit and be aware of the self-isolation rules when travelling to and from certain countries.
People can visit the region on holiday but must comply with the local restrictions.
What about public transport, taxis and car sharing?
Residents are advised to only use public transport for essential purposes, such as travelling to school or work. Examples of essential travel include: travelling to work, getting essential food or medical supplies, supporting someone who is vulnerable, travelling to and from the homes of others in your support bubble, fulfilling legal obligations, going to an early years or educational setting, or travelling to medical care to avoid illness, injury or harm.
Face coverings must be worn unless exempt. You are advised not to share a car with those outside your household or support bubble, and to use public transport for essential journeys instead.
Face coverings must now be worn by drivers and passengers in hackney and private hire vehicles. Liverpool City Council became the first in the country to approve a locally-designed protective screen for taxis and private hire vehicles.
Are the airport, train stations and ports still open?
Yes
Can I move home?
Yes
What about people who were previously shielding?
People with health conditions and those who were asked to shield are still particularly vulnerable and need to take special care during this worrying period and to be extra cautious and follow the new guidance.
Support groups
From Thursday 24 September, support groups are limited to a maximum of 15 people.
What support is available for vulnerable residents?
Liverpool City Council have established an Isolation Advice Line to help people who have been asked to self-isolate and have NO means of support from friends, family, or neighbours, to remain at home. Get in touch if you need help with:
• Shopping
• Emergency Foodbanks
• Collecting Prescriptions
• Or just having a friendly voice just to speak to
Our advice line 0151 233 3066 is open 8am to 6pm Mon-Fri. An online form is also available 7 days a week at https://liverpool.gov.uk/covidsupport
Support for people on low incomes who are self-isolating (from 28 September)
People in Liverpool who are working or self-employed and on a low income, who must self-isolate due to Covid-19 and cannot work from home, will soon be able to claim a £500 lump-sum payment from the government.
From Monday 28 September, people with Covid-19 symptoms will be required to self-isolate by law. To help those who on low incomes who are unable to work from home, the government has announced it will be providing the £500 ‘Test and Trace Support’ payment.
The payment scheme will be co-ordinated locally by Liverpool City Council – similar to the business support grant and Without Walls Hospitality Fund.
The scheme will be expected to be up and running by Monday 12 October. Anyone self-isolating from Monday 28 September onwards will receive a back-dated payment.
You have to be in work or self-employed, but unable to work and, for the mandatory scheme, in receipt of a means tested benefit.
The application form can be found at https://liverpool.gov.uk/benefits/advice-and-support/coronavirus-benefits-advice-and-support/test-and-trace-support-payment/
What do I do if I see someone breaking the rules?
Environmental health officers have new responsibilities to ensure appropriate public health measures are being followed during the coronavirus pandemic.
You can report a business that should not be open or is open outside of permitted hours or is failing to ensure that staff and customers maintain safe social distancing and hygiene measures here.
We’ll investigate and where necessary deal with the business using powers in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Business Closure) (England) Regulations 2020, working with police colleagues where appropriate.
Offending businesses could also be issued with written warning and if they continue to flout the regulations, they may be served with a notice to close.
If an individual is breaching restrictions, you can report it to Merseyside Police by calling 101.
Where do I find information on infection rates?
You can find information on the council’s website www.liverpool.gov.uk/covidcases
What do I do if I have symptoms of COVID-19?
More information about symptoms and how to get a test can be found here.
