Durham leaders considering what changes can be made after updated lockdown guidance

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an announcement on Sunday night about the next stage of the lockdown as the country continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by further guidance on Monday. Leader of Durham County Council, Coun Simon Henig, said: “We are considering the Government guidance issued on Sunday night and the further information provided on Monday. “We are continuing to keep all the services we provide under review and will ensure residents are informed where changes are made which affect them.” RELATED: Plea to maintain social distancing at parks and coastal spots as restrictions ease Coun James Jamieson, chairman of the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said on Sunday: “During this pandemic, councils’ role as leaders of place has been more important than ever before. “They will continue to lead their communities through this crisis as we adapt to this new way of life, working day and night to protect the most vulnerable, help local businesses, keep important services running and support national efforts to defeat this disease. “The scale of the economic, environmental and community challenges that we will face cannot be underestimated. Communities will need to keep sticking together through this crisis and follow the Government’s plan and social-distancing rules to ensure people are not put at risk unnecessarily.” From today, Wednesday, May 13, some lockdown measures have been relaxed, with people being allowed to travel for exercise and leisure. You can also meet one member of another household in a public place providing that two metre social distancing measures are followed. Other changes announced by the Prime Minister in his ‘roadmap’ for lifting restrictions include a phased reopening of some primary schools for reception, year one and year six pupils from June 1 at the earliest. However, this is subject to conditions, infection rates and the Government’s current alert level under the new ‘Covid Alert System’. From July, easing the lockdown could affect the hospitality industry and other public places, provided safety and social distancing is followed. Bars, cafes and restaurants will be among the last to open, with restrictions set to remain in place until Autumn at the latest. Under the lockdown changes there are also increased fines for those who break social distancing rules of £100. For more information on the Government lockdown changes visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper. Thank you