Last week the Prime Minster Boris Johnson addressed the nation with new rules regarding Social Distancing. It’s safe to say his rules were not exactly clear and left a lot of us confused about what we can and cannot do and a lot of our young people have been questioning if we are open and where and when they can see their friends.
The Government have now released their recovery strategy and we thought we would give you a brief overview of the areas that are relevant to our young people that might make things a little clearer.
Can I meet my friends now?
You are now allowed to meet one other person from outside your household in an outdoor environment but you must still remain two metres apart. The government have said there will be larger fines for those caught gathering in groups so please be mindful of this and DO NOT meet up in a group.
Can I go outside more?
The rules have been relaxed slightly so you can enjoy leisure activities outdoors with those in your household without a time restriction, this means you could walk at the beach, have a picnic in the park or sunbathe in an open area and take unlimited outdoor exercise, but this must only be done with those in your household or with the one person you meet (social distancing must be adhered to). You can travel further afield by car to exercise now however it is worth noting that a number of carparks in Northumberland do remain closed and we have all be advised not to travel on public transport unless the journey is absolutely necessary.
Can I go shopping or out for food?
The same rules for Shopping are in place, it is advised you only go shopping for essentials and keep to the Social Distancing rules the shops have in place. The majority of high street shops will remain closed. The majority of restaurants and cafes are closed, however there are some places operating socially distanced collections and contact free home deliveries.
When can I go back to School?
Schools are still closed. The government plan to reopen Primary Schools for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 from 1st June if Schools are able to implement Social Distancing and reduce class sizes to no more than 15 pupils per class. The government have also told secondary schools to prepare for face to face contact with year 10 and 12 and continue home learning. We would advise keeping in contact with your school regularly for updates.
When will Silx Re-open?
The safety of all of our young people and the Staff is our priority at the moment so Silx will remain closed under the current guidelines but we will continue to offer our services remotely via Social Media, Zoom, Email, Text and Phone and this will be reviewed again in September.
We know the lockdown is becoming difficult for some of you and we really do sympathise. The best advice we can give you is to just keep going, keep doing what you’ve been doing, stay at home as much as possible, stay safe, keep following the rules, keep getting involved with our activities online, reach out to workers when you need us and we will support you and we will beat this together.
All of the information we have gathered is from the Government website and the BBC, for further information visit:
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/coronavirus