New advice for people previously shielding

As the whole of Lancashire becomes a Tier 3 area from Saturday 17 October, the advice for people who were previously shielding has been updated.

Although the government has not reintroduced shielding for areas in the top tier of its Covid alert levels, it is important that people classed as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable follow public health advice to keep themselves as safe as possible.

The advice is:

• Stay at home as much as you can, and only travel when essential.
• Limit your social contact to the people you live with – you may also want to maintain social distancing within your household, if possible.
• You may still meet up with your support bubble, but you are advised not to meet other friends and family who are not part of your support bubble.
• You can continue to go outside for exercise, but are advised to avoid busy areas to minimise the chance of coming into close contact with other people.
• If you can work from home, you should. If you cannot work from home and are concerned about going into work, speak to your employer.
• Do your shopping online, or ask others in your household or support bubble to collect shopping and medication for you.
• You can still attend any hospital or doctor’s appointments that you already have scheduled, following general advice around wearing a mask, keeping a 2m social distance and regularly washing your hands.

People who have been classed as Clinically Vulnerable previously are now advised to follow the same rules as the rest of the people in Blackburn with Darwen. This includes:

• Hands – wash your hands regularly, especially when out and about
• Face – where a face covering in all public enclosed spaces
• Space – keep a 2m distance from anyone you don’t live with.

Councillor Mustafa Desai, Executive Member for Adult Services, said:

We understand that people who have previously been shielding because of their health conditions will have concerns now that Lancashire’s Covid alert level has been raised to ‘very high’, or Tier 3.

While the government has not reintroduced shielding for residents in the highest risk areas, the advice is clear – stay at home as much as you can and limit your contact with other people. It is also important that the family members of people in this higher risk group also take necessary precautions in their lives to prevent passing on the infection to them.

For those who have no one to support them, our Help Hub remains open. The Council and our local partners can provide a wide range of support through the Hub – from getting access to supermarket delivery slots, or putting you in touch with volunteers who can collect your shopping, to giving advice on managing your finances, or arrange telephone befriender support.

We don’t want anyone to struggle with their mental wellbeing or practical things like access to food and essentials. Please remember that the Help Hub is here for you.

Anyone who needs support from the BwD Help Hub should:

• Fill in this online form
• Call 01254 588111 – calls are taken 9am-5pm Mon to Fri

Get the full details of what the Tier 3 restrictions mean for Lancashire and when they come info force.