 Rule of six - new laws on social gatherings
Limits on the number of people you can see socially are changing. From Monday (September 14), when meeting friends and family you do not live with you must not meet in a group of more than six, indoors or outdoors.
From September 14 - when the new rules apply - it will be against the law to meet people you do not live with in a group larger than six (unless you are meeting as a household or support bubble). The police will have the powers to enforce these legal limits, including to issue fines (fixed penalty notice) of £100, doubling for further breaches up to a maximum of £3,200.
Please visit the Government Covid-19 webpages on safely meeting with others for full details.
 Stricter controls on collecting Test and Trace data
From 18 September, certain businesses, including pubs, restaurants and places of worship, will have to have a system to collect NHS Test and Trace data and to ask customers to provide these details. Businesses will be required to retain these details for 21 days. We are working with businesses in the borough to ensure they continue to act responsibly and are taking the necessary steps to be COVID-19 Secure.
In the hospitality sector, pubs, bars and restaurants will have to refuse entry or service to customers who refuse to provide NHS Test and Trace data.
For full details, please visit the Government’s business advice webpages.
 Update on testing capacity
There is an ongoing national shortage of Covid-19 testing. We have been lobbying Central Government for adequate testing locally and will continue to push for local sites and sufficient capacity.
Demand for testing is increasing and priority is being given to areas of concern (those with more Covid cases), which means areas with a lower number of cases (such as Wokingham Borough) are having less capacity.
Some of the increase in demand is being caused by people seeking tests when they do not need to, so we are asking people to only seek tests if they have symptoms or are told to do so by the NHS or local council.
Visit the NHS 111 Covid webpages to check if your symptoms are Covid-19.
 See the latest local Covid-19 stats
The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Wokingham Borough remains below the national average. As of Wednesday September 9, there had been 661 lab-confirmed cases in residents of the borough. Visit the council's webpages for the full situation report.
How Covid-19 is affecting our services
Advice and help for local businesses during Covid-19
Public Health England and Department of Health and Social Care guidance
NHS England advice
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