From this week, the guidance has changed so anyone shielding can meet in groups of up to six people from outside their household – outdoors with social distancing. If you live alone (or are a lone adult with dependent children under 18), you will be able to form a support bubble with another household.   

From 1 August, there will no longer be a requirement to shield, and the advice will be that you can visit shops and places of worship, but you should continue maintaining rigorous social distancing.    

The Government support offer has been extended: those shielding can still get a food box, care and/or medicine delivery until 31 July if they want them and have registered online by 17 July. 

The Government has written a letter, which will be sent out to all individuals on the Shielded Patient List with updated information on shielding advice and the ongoing support that will be available to them.    

This letter has been translated into various languages and made to be more accessible. You can find out more here.   

You can find out more about these changes and the support available on our website.     

Read the full announcement on the Government’s website  

You can read the full guidance here.  

The Government has published guidance for parents and carers for children attending out of school activities. The guidance covers changes to after-school clubs, holiday clubs, tuition, community activities and other out-of-school settings for children and young people over the age of 5 during the coronavirus outbreak. 

You can read the guidance on the Government’s website.  

Passengers returning to or visiting England from certain destinations including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, will no longer need to self-isolate on arrival from this Friday.   

All passengers, except those on a small list of exemptions, will still be required to provide contact information on arrival in the UK.  

You can find out more on the Government’s website.  

Local voluntary and community organisations can now apply for the first round of the Thriving Communities: Hounslow Response Fund focusing on recovery. This fund will help to support the voluntary and community sector to create, engage and deliver long term recovery projects to help the residents of the borough.   

The Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will remain open until the end of October and will continue to support jobs and business in a measured way as people return to work, our economy reopens, and the country moves to the next stage of its recovery. 

Employers will now have the flexibility to bring furloughed employees back to work on a part time basis. 

Individual firms will decide the hours and shift patterns their employees will work on their return, so that they can decide on the best approach for them - and will be responsible for paying their wages while in work.  

You can find out more about the flexible furlough scheme on the Government’s website.  

Mandatory MOT testing is to be reintroduced from 1 August 2020 as coronavirus restrictions are slowly lifted, roads minister Baroness Vere has announced this week.   

All drivers whose car, motorcycle or van is due for an MOT test from 1 August will be required to get a test certificate to continue driving their vehicle.  

Drivers with an MOT due date before 1 August will still receive a six-month exemption from testing. However, all vehicles must continue to be properly maintained and kept in a roadworthy condition, and people are able to voluntarily get their MOT sooner should they wish, even if they are exempt from the legal requirement.  

You can find out more about this announcement on the Government’s website and read the guidance here. 

We have launched a public consultation on a review of licensing policy in the borough and would like to hear from residents, licence holders, schools, stakeholders and other public authorities in Hounslow and neighbouring boroughs. 

The Council is consulting not only because it is a legal requirement, but because the licensing policy potentially affects everyone who operates licensed premises, residents, other businesses and public authorities. Because of this we want to ensure that the widest number of people are able to comment on it, so that changes can be made to the final document to make it more robust, more locally responsive and easier to understand.  

Take part in the consultation 

The consultation closes on 27 July 2020 

The Amazon Small Business Accelerator is a free, online educational programme for anyone who wants to start a new online business or grow an existing one.   

The online learning is tailored to your experience level, with a comprehensive curriculum covering website building, selling online, social media, marketing, managing cashflow, selling on Amazon, and identifying growth opportunities.   

Not only is the training free, but by taking part you can access events and offers from,  partners and join an intensive bootcamp experience.   

You can find out more on their website.  

Couch to 5k is a nine-week running programme designed by the NHS for complete beginners. You can download each week as a podcast. This Couch to 5k app gives you a choice of coaches and helps you track your progress. As well as Laura, you can also be coached by celebrities Jo Whiley, Sarah Millican, Sanjeev Kohli or Michael Johnson.  

The programme is designed for beginners to gradually build up their running ability so they can eventually run 5km without stopping. There is lots more tips and advice on the website to help you make a start.    

For more information and other ideas you can visit the OneYou website.