Roadmap for easing Covid-19 restrictions
Government's "COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021" provides roadmap out of the current lockdown for England
 On Monday, 22 February, the Government announced plans on how they will begin to lift restrictions in England from 8 March, starting with schools and colleges.
The Government's roadmap contains four steps for easing restrictions over the coming months. This list is not exhaustive but in summary the steps are:
Steps 1 and 2
Step 1 – the priority is to ensure that all children and students return safely to face-to-face education in schools and colleges from 8 March. In addition:
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Higher Education students at English universities on practical courses can also return.
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Care home residents will also be allowed one regular visitor.
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From 29 March, when most schools start to break up for the Easter holidays, outdoor gatherings (including in private gardens) of either 6 people (the Rule of 6) or 2 households will also be allowed, making it easier for friends and families to meet outside.
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Outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools, will be allowed to reopen, and people will be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.
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The ‘stay at home’ rule will end on 29 March but many restrictions will remain in place. People should continue to work from home where they can and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible, avoiding travel at the busiest times and routes. Travel abroad will continue to be prohibited, other than for a small number of permitted reasons. Holidays abroad will not be allowed, given it will remain important to manage the risk of imported variants and protect the vaccination programme.
Step 2 – no earlier than 12 April: opening of non-essential retail; personal care premises such as hairdressers and nail salons; and public buildings, including libraries and community centres.
 Steps 3 and 4
Step 3 – no earlier than 17 May: the Government will look to continue easing limits on seeing friends and family wherever possible, allowing people to decide on the appropriate level of risk for their circumstances.
Step 4 – no earlier than 21 June: the Government hopes to be in a position to remove all legal limits on social contact. Before Step 4 begins, the Government will complete a review of social distancing and other long-term measures that have been put in place to cut transmission.
 Four tests before each step above is taken
Before taking each step, the Government will first review the following four tests:
  We are currently preparing for Step 1 of the Government's four-step roadmap out of national lockdown. No changes will be taking place until 8 March.
The dates listed in the four steps above are not fixed and are liable to change. For now please keep safe and stay at home.
Read more information on the Covid 19 Response - Spring 2021 roadmap
See updated national lockdown guidance
School reopening's in West Berkshire
In light of the government's Covid-19 response roadmap, we are preparing to open every school in West Berkshire to all pupils on 8 March.
As ever, safety is paramount and we are working hard with our schools to ensure that appropriate measures and testing facilities are in place.
See more information
Covid-19 Local Cases data
As of 18 February our weekly case rate for Covid-19 infections is 99.7 per 100,000 population with 158 confirmed infections in the previous 7 days.
See Public Health Berkshire website for more case data
View local Covid-19 data shown by electoral ward within West Berkshire
 West Berkshire Council and Greenham Trust have jointly set up a £200,000 'Surviving to Thriving' fund to enable voluntary and community sector organisations to apply for grants to help improve the mental health and wellbeing of local residents impacted by Covid-19.
All not-for-profit organisations in West Berkshire are invited to apply for funding for Covid-19 related mental health projects via The Good Exchange. Grants of £500 to £30,000 will be awarded for successful applications.
Requests for grants made via The Good Exchange (Greenham Trust's online funding and fundraising platform) will reviewed weekly, so organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Read more information
 NHS Berkshire West announced that Reading's Madejski Stadium opened on Monday, 22 February as the latest vaccination centre, providing those aged 65 and over and other eligible groups with the Covid-19 vaccine.
The vaccination centre will be able to provide thousands of Covid-19 vaccines each week, working through the prioritisation lists set out by the Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Our vaccination page has more information.
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Public Health Berkshire's Covid-19 vaccination page now has information on fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding on their website: Visit vaccination page |
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