Cheshire East Council asks residents to adhere to ‘Plan B’ measures

Following the announcement by the Prime Minister to move to Plan B yesterday evening (8 December), Cheshire East Council is asking residents and businesses to adhere to the new protective measures.

Dr Matt Tyrer, director of public health at Cheshire East Council, said: “With cases of the Omicron doubling every two to three days, additional measures are being brought in.

“These new precautions will provide more time to increase booster uptake as getting fully vaccinated is still the best way of protecting yourself and others against Covid-19.

“Maintaining regular testing along with getting your booster as soon as it is offered to you, will also help to alleviate further pressure on the NHS over the challenging winter months.

“Covid-19 will be with us for quite some time, and we can all look after each other by staying safe and managing the risks to ourselves and others.

“It’s in our hands to continue to play our part by understanding those situations where Covid-19 infection and transmission are likely to be higher and then doing the right things to reduce these risks.”

The new measures announced by the government, are:

• From Friday 10 December: Face masks are compulsory in most public venues, including theatres and cinemas. Face coverings will be required by law in most indoor public places and on public transport, including taxis. See a full list of places where you must wear a face covering.

• From Monday 13 December: Guidance to work from home reintroduced. Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go into work - for example, to access equipment necessary for their role or where their role must be completed in person. In-person working will be necessary in some cases to continue the effective and accessible delivery of some public services and private industries.

• From Wednesday 15 December: NHS COVID Pass is mandatory for entry into certain venues and events and will be required by law to check that all visitors aged 18 years or over are fully vaccinated (currently a full course of vaccination without the need for a booster), have proof of a negative test in the last 48 hours, or that they have an exemption. This means that those aged 18 years or over must show their NHS COVID Pass, or an alternative proof of a negative test result, such as an email or text proof, to gain entry into these venues.

• Self-isolation to be replaced by daily lateral flow testing for contacts of Covid-positive people.

Residents can access their NHS COVID Pass through:

• the NHS App - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

• NHS COVID Pass - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

• A letter that can be obtained on NHS.UK or by calling 119

The NHS Covid Pass lets people share their Covid vaccination status and test results in a secure way for entry to domestic venues or events.

For more information on the latest restrictions, please go to the government website on what you can and cannot do.

For more information on testing and vaccinations and general advice, go to the council’s Covid-19 web pages.