Residents in Dorset are urged to comply with new coronavirus restrictions as the second national lockdown begins today.
Dorset Council is appealing to the public to take personal responsibility in line with the latest national restrictions, which are set to last until 2 December. The public has been asked by Government to stay at home, avoid non-essential travel and go out only for food, medical reasons, exercise, education or work.
Leader of Dorset Council, Cllr Spencer Flower said: “I know this second national lockdown will bring challenges for many people. But the Government has made it clear that significant intervention is needed if we are going to stop the spread of Covid-19 and save lives this winter.
“I want to reassure residents that Dorset Council stands ready, once again, to support our communities by continuing to provide essential services including paying out financial packages to businesses and supporting clinically vulnerable people.
“We were in Tier 1 until this latest lockdown started, and if we all follow the guidance we hope we will still be in Tier 1 at the end of the lockdown – this is really important for us all. I am calling on the people of Dorset to pull together, as we have done before, to help each other and our communities through this second lockdown.”
Here’s how the November lockdown will affect Dorset Council services:
- Household recycling centres, refuse and recycling collections, garden waste collection, commercial waste will all stay open and services will continue
- Social care services will continue
- Public toilets and car parks will stay open
- Beaches, parks, skate parks and our green spaces will remain open for public use
- Registration Services (registering a birth or death) will continue, but weddings will not be held and funerals continue to be restricted to 30 mourners
- Our country parks’ open spaces will stay open for people to enjoy but visitor centres are closed and the restaurants will only offer takeaway services
- Schools, colleges and childcare remain open
- Leisure Centres are closed
- Library buildings are closed but our book lending scheme will continue online, we have restarted our Order and Collect service and there is a Home Library Service for people who are housebound.
- Tourist Information Centres are closed
- History centre and archives are closed
Dorset Council is also carrying out welfare checks for people who are isolating, providing emergency grant payments to businesses that have to close, supporting people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, and supporting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
Any residents who are clinically extremely vulnerable and don’t have family, friends or a support network that can help get things like food or medicine, should request help using our online form or call 01305 221000. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8:30am – 5pm.
Residents who are worried about money, redundancy or reduced pay and are finding things tough right now, should call Dorset Citizens Advice for help and support on 0344 411 1444
Added to the things to do should be VENTILATION. It is really important to keep necessarily shared spaces like food shops well aired with open doors and windows if possible, despite the cold weather.