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Moving to Plan B - what has changed?
The government has announced that England will move to Plan B in response to the risks of the Omicron variant.
This means:
From tomorrow (Friday 10 December) the public, and staff in public facing areas, are required to wear face coverings in these additional settings:
- community centres (including village halls), youth centres, members clubs and social clubs
- libraries and public reading rooms
- polling stations and premises used for the counting of votes
- places of worship
- crematoria and burial ground chapels
- visitor attractions and entertainment venues (museums, galleries, cinemas, indoor theatres, concert halls, cultural and heritage sites, indoor areas at aquariums, zoos and visitor farms, bingo halls, snooker and pool halls, amusement arcades, adventure activity centres, indoor sports stadiums, funfairs, indoor theme parks, casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor play areas including soft-play areas)
- public areas in hotels and hostels
- indoor areas of sports stadiums
From 13 December, you should work from home if you can.
From 15 December you’ll need to show your NHS COVID Pass at nightclubs, some venues and large events to show you’re fully vaccinated, have had a negative test result in the last 48 hours, or you have an exemption.
Booster vaccines
People aged 40 and over can now pre-book a booster vaccine 2 months after their second dose. Find out more about booster vaccinations including walk-in sessions on the BLMK website.
The NHS will contact you when you are eligible to book your booster dose.
New rules on self-isolation
If you’re a contact of someone who may have been infected with the Omicron variant, you must self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of your age, vaccination status or any negative test results.
International travel
Anyone aged 12 and over must take a PCR or lateral flow test 2 days before travelling to England, and show a negative result.
You must also take a PCR test within 2 days of arriving and self-isolate until you get a negative test result, even if you’re fully vaccinated.
Top precautions to reduce the risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 are:
- Stay at home if you have COVID-19 symptoms and book a PCR test as soon as possible. Use lateral flow tests regularly even if you have no symptoms, as one in three people with COVID-19 will not experience symptoms.
- The risk of catching the virus is higher in crowded and poorly ventilated places. When meeting up with people you don’t live with, choose an outdoor space if you can or open windows to let fresh air in if you meet indoors.
- Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly – especially before and after coming into contact with areas touched by many people, and before eating.
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© Milton Keynes Council 2019
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