Published Friday 16 July 2021 at 11:21
Although the government is lifting the majority of legal Covid restrictions from Monday 19 July, Blackburn with Darwen Council will keep some infection control measures in place in its public buildings.
To keep staff and visitors to Council buildings like town halls, libraries and leisure centres safe, visitors will be recommended to:
- wear face coverings
- use the hand sanitising stations that will remain in place
- respect social distancing – transparent screens will remain in place in reception areas
- follow any one-way systems designed to avoid over-crowding
- continue using the NHS Covid app to sign in, or leave their contact details for Track & Trace.
The numbers of people given access to the Council’s public buildings at any one time will increase, however be kept under close review.
In leisure centres, all current booking procedures will remain in place to help manage customer flow. Maximum session numbers for gyms, swimming and classes will be gradually increased and reviewed regularly. The latest information and advice for leisure facilities is available at www.bwdleisure.com/covid-19-updates.
Denise Park, Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said:
The government has made it clear that as we move to Step 4, they are expecting us to take responsibility for our own actions and encouraging us to think of others.
Covid hasn’t gone away and the pandemic is not yet over, and so we need to move forward with caution. This is why we are encouraging visitors to our public buildings to continue to wear face coverings, sanitise their hands, respect social distancing and so on, as we transition to a more normal way of life.
Whilst the government is removing many of the legal restrictions, the public health advice remains the same. Many of the measures we have put in place in Council buildings over the last year will remain for the time being. They have been designed to keep everyone safe and, as we learn to live with Covid, we will keep them under review with a close eye on the borough virus case rates.
In Council buildings and leisure centres, reception staff will continue to wear face coverings and social distancing will be encouraged.
Council staff are still required to take twice weekly lateral flow tests, to keep themselves and others safe.
Everyone in Blackburn with Darwen is encouraged to make use of the widespread availability of rapid tests to ‘Test & Go’ before they attend appointments, go shopping, to the gym etc.
Rapid tests are widely available across Blackburn with Darwen – collect from some community centres, pharmacies and our rapid testing hubs. Find your nearest at www.blackburn.gov.uk/get-a-test, or order online at www.gov.uk.
Leader of the Council Coun Mohammed Khan CBE added a note of caution ahead of the 19th July Step 4 easing. He said:
Our borough is still a high risk area for Coronavirus and as such we must behave more cautiously than others parts of the country.
While we don’t have to wear face coverings after 19 July, Covid has not gone away and I appeal to everyone to do the right thing and do everything we can to protect others.
As well as continuing to follow public health guidance, we can protect ourselves and our loved ones by having both doses of the Covid vaccine. As well as preventing severe illness, the vaccine can help to reduce transmission.