Updated guidance on local restrictions in Bolton
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Find out what you can and cannot do if you live, work or travel in
Bolton. Published 9 September 2020 Last updated 26 September 2020 —
see all updates From: Department of Health and Social Care Applies
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Find out what you can and cannot do if you live, work or travel in Bolton.
Published 9 September 2020
Last updated 26 September 2020 — see all updates
An outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been identified in Bolton. The government and the relevant local authorities are working together to control the spread of the virus. Restrictions and guidance apply to the specified areas below. Affected local areas
Local restrictionsBusiness and venue closures and restrictionsThe following businesses and venues must not open in Bolton:
We advise that the following activity should not reopen or restart in Bolton:
Hospitality venues must only provide take away food and drinks or delivery services to customers. Hospitality venues include:
The following businesses and venues must close from 10pm to 5am each day except to deliver food, or provide drive-thrus, but take-away is not permitted:
Local authorities or the police can take action against
businesses and venues who commit such offences. The local authority in Bolton and national regulators, including the Health and Safety Executive, will be undertaking stronger enforcement to ensure workplaces are COVID-19 secure and that the required businesses and venues close from 10pm to 5am each day. Across England, unless you have an exemption, you must wear a face covering in a range of indoor premises. This now includes hospitality venues (bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes), except when eating or drinking. Social contact restrictionsIf you live in Bolton, you must not:
Your household is defined as the people you live with and any support or childcare bubble. A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together. A childcare bubble is where someone in one household can provide informal (i.e. unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. This must occur on an exclusive basis - always the same two households. People can still come inside your home or garden for specific purposes set out in law:
The police will be able to take action against those that break these rules, including asking people to disperse and issuing fixed penalty notices starting at £200 for those who participate in illegal gatherings. People aged 18 or over can be fined:
The government has also introduced fines for those who hold illegal gatherings of over 30 people. Holding or being involved in the holding of an illegal gathering of more than 30 people is an offence, and police may issue fines of £10,000 to those who break the law. From Monday 14 September, when meeting friends and family you do not live with (or have formed a support bubble with) you must not meet in a group of more than 6. Further detail can be found in the guidance for meeting others safely, including associated exemptions. If you live in the affected local area, you must not meet or host people you do not live with in private homes or gardens unless they are in your support bubble. In addition to these restrictions, we advise that you should not:
If you operate a business or organise events within Bolton you should take steps to ensure people do not socialise with people they do not live with, in line with COVID-19 secure guidance. Travel restrictionsYou should follow all relevant transport guidance when making a journey into, within or out of Bolton. You must wear a face covering on public transport, taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) and in substantially enclosed areas of transport hubs in England (as well as other indoor premises). You will be breaking the law if you fail to do so and could be fined. Some people do not have to wear a face covering including for age, health, or disability reasons. We advise that you should only travel for essential reasons when travelling into, within and out of Bolton. We encourage you to walk or cycle where possible and to plan your journey in advance, avoiding busy times and routes if possible. Examples of essential travel include:
You should try not to share a car with those outside your household or support bubble. If you need to, try to:
If you live in Bolton you can travel outside the area. However, you must not meet people you do not live with in their home or garden, whether inside or outside of Bolton, unless they’re in your support bubble. You can still go on holiday outside of Bolton, but you should only do this with people you live with (or have formed a support bubble with). There is separate guidance on what to do if you have booked holiday accommodation in an area with local restrictions. ShieldingIf you are clinically extremely vulnerable we are not currently advising that you need to shield, however it is important that you continue to take precautions. Find out more from the general guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable people. Team sport and physical activityYou can continue to take part in organised sporting or licensed physical activity in groups of more than 6 outdoors and up to 6 people indoors (for over 18s). There is an exemption for indoor sports if it is organised for the purposes of someone who has a disability taking part and for children’s activities. These activities either need to be organised by a national governing body, club, registered instructor/coach, business or charity, and/or involve someone who has received an official licence to use equipment relevant to the activity. In all cases, the organiser must conduct a risk assessment and ensure compliance with COVID-19 secure guidance. You should only be playing team sports where the relevant governing body has published guidance on how to do so safely. See a list of team sports governing bodies which have developed guidance. For all other sports, guidance is available from your governing body and details on how to safely undertake this activity within an organised environment. Organised dance and exercise classes can take place in groups of more than 6, where a risk assessment has been carried out, but you must not mix with more than five other participants. The relevant indoor sport facilities guidance or outdoor guidance must be followed for these activities. Organised sport and physical activity events are allowed provided they follow guidance for the public on the phased return of outdoor sport and recreation in England. Weddings and funeralsFrom Monday 14 September, in line with the new rules across the whole of England, you must not meet in a group of more than 6 people in any location. Nationally, weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and receptions, funerals (including ceremonies at crematoria) are exempt. However, in Bolton, a maximum of 6 people should to attend these events. This should be limited to close family of the people getting married or the person who has died, or people who live(d) or formed a support bubble with them. A close friend can attend a funeral only if there are no household members or immediate families. Anyone working at these ceremonies or events are not included as part of the 6 person limit. These events should comply with the COVID-19 secure guidance and venue capacity. See detailed guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships. People living outside of Bolton can travel to Bolton to attend a wedding, civil partnership ceremony or funeral, but must not meet with another household in a private home or garden. Religious ceremonies and places of worshipYou may attend a mosque, church, synagogue, temple or other place or worship, but you should socially distance from people outside of your household. This means maintaining a distance of 2 metres, or 1 metre with mitigations (such as wearing face coverings). If possible, prayer or religious services should take place outdoors. Going to workPeople living inside and outside of Bolton can continue to travel in and out for work. However, to help contain the virus, office workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Where an employer, in consultation with their employee, judges an employee can carry out their normal duties from home they should do so. Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work. The risk of transmission can be substantially reduced if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk. The local authority in Bolton and national regulators (including HSE) will be undertaking stronger enforcement to ensure workplaces are COVID-19 Secure. Financial support – furloughPlease see guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. ChildcareYou can continue to use early years and childcare settings, including childminders and providers offering before or after school clubs or other out-of-school settings for children. You can also continue to employ nannies – see guidance on working safely in other people’s homes. The following people can provide childcare support in private homes and gardens:
Friends or family who do not live with you and are not part of a support or childcare bubble must not visit your home to help with childcare. A support bubble is where a lone adult household with one adult joins with another household (on an exclusive basis). A childcare bubble is where someone in one household can provide informal (i.e. unpaid and unregistered) childcare to a child aged 13 or under in another household. This must occur on an exclusive basis - always the same two households. We recommend that you form a support bubble or childcare support bubble with a household that lives locally wherever possible. This will help to prevent the virus spreading from an area where there might be a higher rate of infection. Children of parents who are separated can continue to move between households. Schools and colleges (face coverings)In education settings where pupils and students in Year 7 and above are educated, face coverings should be worn by staff, visitors and pupils/students when moving around in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. It is not necessary to wear face coverings in the classroom, where protective measures already mean the risks are lower and they may inhibit teaching and learning. Universities and higher educationYou can move home and travel in order to attend or work at a university or higher educational establishment. This applies to the whole country, including the areas affected in this guidance. You should follow all relevant university and higher educational guidance if you attend, work at or manage higher education establishments, including universities and associated accommodation. The guidance also covers what to do in the event of an outbreak at these establishments. It is important to understand how to minimise risk during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and ensure that the experience of attending or working at these establishments is enjoyable and as safe as possible. We recognise the pressure of attending or working at these establishments during these uncertain times. There are support services within your university or higher education establishment to help you should you need advice or support. In addition, we have worked with the Office for Students to provide the Student Space platform, which seeks to bridge gaps in mental support for students arising from this unprecedented situation. It provides a range of information, access to dedicated support services, details of the support available at each university, and tools to help students manage the challenges of their student life. Students are expected to follow the latest guidance on social contact and meeting with others safely in their local area whilst attending university, and should not leave their university accommodation to go home in the event of an outbreak or restrictions being applied in a local area. As of Monday 14 September, when meeting friends and family you do not live with (or have formed a support bubble with) you must not meet in a group of more than 6. Further detail can be found in the guidance for meeting others safely, including certain exemptions that may apply. If you live in the affected local areas, you must not meet or host people you do not live with in private homes or gardens unless they are in your support bubble, please see below to understand how this may affect you. You are living or plan to live in student halls or official accommodation in one of the affected areas:
To note - if you plan to live in an affected area, restrictions on hosting people you do not live with only apply to you once you move to said area. However, even before you do so, you should not meet with people you don’t live with in an affected area. You are living or plan to live in private rented accommodation in one of the affected areas:
You relocate or currently live in an area outside of one of the affected areas:
You commute into an affected area to attend or work at a university:
Please see the social contact restriction section of this guidance to understand the specific purposes people can enter your home or garden and broader guidance on exemptions to the rule of six outside of people’s homes and gardens. This means certain activities, like organised outdoor sports can still proceed, as can specified support groups (up to 15) and other specified activities. Moving homePeople can move home. Estate and letting agents, and removals firms can continue to work and people looking to move home can continue to undertake viewings. |