What will 'Stay Local' mean this Easter in Essex?

As England eases out of lockdown following the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's four-stage 'roadmap', the current 'Stay Home' messaging will be changing.

From March 29, certain restrictions which have been in place for almost three months will change as the 'Stay Home' message becomes 'Stay Local.'

The rules, which will apply to Essex and all of England, will see certain restrictions on travelling, socialising and some events lifted.

This is all set to take place at the end of month, provided the UK continues to meet the four main tests set out in the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap last month.

Here is what you need to know about the changes:

Who will I be allowed to meet and where?

Currently, you are allowed to meet up with one person from another household in outdoor public spaces.

This came into force from March, when primary and secondary schools also reopened to pupils.

From March 29 residents will have greater freedom to meet loved ones, with the rule-of-six returning.

From this date, you will be allowed to meet up to six people (or two households) in any outdoor place, including in private gardens.

Will I be able to travel out of Essex?

Currently the Government's 'Stay Home' message means you are not permitted to leave your home unless for work or education purposes, medical, to care for a loved one, and to complete essential shopping.

From March 29, this guidance will change and restrictions on why you can leave your home will no longer apply.

However, the 'Stay Local' message will mean you should continue to work from home, minimising the number of journeys made where appropriate.

There isn't a definite list of how far you can travel but police will not "hesitate" to take action where people are clearly breaking the rules.

This means you are likely to only be allowed to leave Essex for essential purposes.

Visiting family or friends in another area is unlikely to be deemed appropriate whilst the Stay Local message is in place.

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What about going on holiday?

A ban on non-essential international travel will continue to apply beyond March 29, with the Government expected to review when global travel will resume on April 12.

Some sports facilities can reopen

From March 29, outdoor sports facilities such as tennis and basketball courts, and open-air swimming pools, will also be allowed to reopen.

People will also be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.

How likely is this all to happen?

When the PM Boris Johnson announced the roadmap out of the third national lockdown, he said that easing of rules would be done in stages.

He provided the dates in which rules would be relaxed at the earliest as he said it depended on the country meeting four tests.

Those are the Covid vaccine roll-out, the vaccine's effectiveness on reducing hospitalisations and deaths, infection rates and whether they are likely to surge which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS, and emerging variants of the virus.

Currently, there has been no suggestion that the further easing of lockdown measures will not go ahead as planned.