Lichfield District Council has sent us advice on the 28 day national lockdown for the UK. Please see below guidance regarding which businesses must close and those that can legally stay open.

We are hoping to have details of the business grants available to businesses very soon, we are still awaiting government guidance for this.

Please also check the gov.uk website for updates.

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the Government has ordered certain businesses and venues to close or restrict how they provide goods and services. These include:

• Non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect (where goods are pre-ordered and collected off the premises) and delivery services

   

• Hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and drink for takeaway (before 10pm; and not including alcohol), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery

   

• Accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites. Except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where they cannot return home, for homeless people, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes

   

• Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, golf courses, fitness and dance studios, climbing walls, archery, driving, and shooting ranges

   

• Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, soft play centres and areas, circuses, funfairs, zoos and other animal attractions, water parks, theme parks. Indoor attractions at botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open

   

• Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. It is also prohibited to provide these services in other peoples’ homes

   

• Community centres and halls must close except for a limited number of exempt activities as set out below Libraries can also remain open to provide access to IT and digital services - for example for people who do not have it at home - and for click-and-collect

   

• Places of worship, apart from for the purposes of independent prayer, and service broadcasting and funerals

   

These businesses and places will also be permitted to be open for a small number of exempt activities, including:

• education and training (including for schools to use sports and leisure facilities where that it part of their normal provision)

   

• childcare purposes and supervised activities for children

   

• blood donation and food banks

   

• to provide medical treatment

   

• for elite sports persons (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), professional dancers and choreographers (in fitness and dance studios)

   

• for training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

   

• for the purposes of professional film and TV filming

   

Businesses and venues which can remain open

Other businesses are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 Secure guidelines. This includes those providing essential goods or services, including:

• Essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, hardware stores, building merchants and off-licences.

   

• Petrol Stations, car repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses.

   

• Banks, building societies, post offices, loan providers and money transfer businesses

   

• Funeral directors

   

• Launderettes and dry cleaners

   

• Medical and dental services

   

• Vets and pet shops

   

• Agricultural supplies shops

   

• Storage and distribution facilities

   

• Car parks, public toilets and motorway service areas.

   

• Outdoor playgrounds

Public Services

The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:

• the NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists. We are supporting the NHS to safely carry out urgent and non-urgent services and it is vital anyone who thinks they need any kind of medical care comes forward and seeks help

   

• Jobcentre Plus sites

   

• Courts and probation services

   

• Civil Registrations Offices

   

• Passport and Visa Services

   

• Services provided to victims

   

• Waste or Recycling Centres