Monday 2 November 2020

The Prime Minister made an announcement at the weekend, signalling the need for a second period of national lockdown in England.

Parliament will debate and vote on the measures this week, and if passed, they will come into force on Thursday 5 November, and remain in place until Wednesday 2 December.

It's because national data emerging in more recent weeks has shown that, should the country take no additional measures beyond the current restrictions, England would be exceeding the ‘worst case scenario’ levels. It means that if we don’t take extra steps now, numbers will continue to rise and it will put additional pressure on our busy hospitals.

Those steps, if approved by parliament, aim to reduce our day-to-day contact with other people, and therefore reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). By doing so, we are protecting the NHS and saving lives.

The new tougher national restrictions include staying at home, not gathering with people you don't live with and closing some venues. Further information, including what they mean for working from home and business closures, why they are being introduced and the financial support available can be found on the government's website.

We are currently receiving detailed guidance from government and working out what it means for our services. We will publish updated advice for residents and businesses on our website as soon as further details are confirmed.

Devon County Council Leader, Cllr John Hart, has commented on the latest announcement, and our Director of Public Health Devon has also responded. You can read the full story on our News Centre.

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The latest national advice on coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the
Government website and NHS website.

You can find local guidance and information about the impacts on our services on the Devon County Council website.

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Please note that all of our sites and offices are closed to the public, except for necessary prearranged visits, but you can still contact us if you need to.

If you need information in another language or format please let us know by email via customer@devon.gov.uk or phone 0345 155 1015 or by texting ‘Devon’ then your message to 80011.