Cosby Parish Council

This means that from 02 December, new rules will be in place, including:

• You must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues
• No socialising in groups of more than six in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, countryside accessible to the public (rule of six)
• Hospitality (bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants) are closed, except for takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services
• Hotels, campsites, guest houses must close
• Indoor entertainment and tourist venues must close
• Leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead
• Organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however higher-risk contact activity should not take place

Lots more information about the Very High Alert tier is available on the Government's website, including specific types of businesses who can or cannot open, and exemptions.

Download the Government's Very High Alert graphic with a breakdown of the rules.

More information on Tier 3 restrictions

Next Wednesday (02 December), we will all (regardless of the tier) be able to:-

• Visit essential and non-essential retail
• Visit personal care services (hairdressers, beauty salons, tanning salons etc), and gyms
• Host and attend weddings (see tier for restrictions)
• Attend collective worship
• Go to certain leisure and sporting facilities such as gyms, sports courts and leisure centres (indoor group activities cannot take place in tier 3)
• Attend outdoor sports
• Meet others in outdoor public spaces (subject to the rule of 6)

Everyone who can work from home should do so.

Avoid travelling to other parts of the UK other than where necessary, such as for

• Work
• Education and youth services
• To receive medical treatment
• Caring responsibilities

You can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey.

Christmas Bubbles

From 23-27 December, Christmas plans have been confirmed for how families can celebrate:

• You can form an exclusive 'Christmas bubble' composed of people from no more than three households
• You can only be in one Christmas bubble
• You cannot change your Christmas bubble
• You can travel between tiers and UK nations for the purposes of meeting your Christmas bubble
• You can only meet your Christmas bubble in private homes or in your garden, places of worship, or public outdoor spaces
• You cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part of your household or Christmas bubble

Christmas bubbles cannot meet in any other indoor setting, such as a pub, hotel, shop, theatre, or restaurant. In these settings, rules on who you can and cannot meet depend on your tier.

Full details about the Christmas bubble plans.

District Covid-19 numbers update

The consistently high rate of cases over recent weeks has seen our area as one of the worst hit by the second wave.

The latest figures show Leicestershire's rate for every 100,000 people is 305 - compared to England's figure of 218. Blaby District has the second highest rate in the County, with figures of 361 per 100,000. Whilst this figure has fallen in the last week from 429 per 100,000 people, its vital that we all do the right thing and continue to work together to reduce these figures.

We want to make sure that we are put into a lower tier at the first opportunity. The tiers will be reviewed by Government on 16 December.

Government's Winter Plan

This week the Government released it's Winter Plan, which is designed to suppress the virus, protect the NHS and the vulnerable, keeping education and the economy going and providing a route back to normality.

Vaccines are at the centre of the plan. Next month, the government will be ready for a UK-wide vaccination programme to begin, provided regulators approve the vaccines. Scientific advances in vaccination and treatments should reduce the need for economic and social restrictions from the spring.

Take a look at the plan on the Government's website.

Garden Waste service returns from Monday

We are pleased to say that our Garden Waste Service will be returning to normal from Monday 30 November.

The majority of the waste collection crew members required to self isolate as part of the national test and trace effort will return to work safe and well by Monday. We're delighted to have them back in our team.

Please leave your bin out on your next scheduled Garden Waste collection. Find your collection date on our website.

Blaby District Plan Consultation closing soon

The Blaby District Plan 2021-2024 will be the backbone of what we want to achieve for the three years its in place. You can have your say by filling in our five-minute survey about what is important to you.

Take the survey now before 11 December.

Census 2021 on the way

2021 will see Census work begin. Carried out every decade since 1801 (except 1941), the Census helps to decide how services are planned and funded in our local area, whether it's a doctor's surgery, bus route or housing.

This year's Census, taking place from March, will also be able to be completed online for the first time. Get ahead and get more information by visiting the Census website.

Bin calendars being delivered

This week we started delivering bin calendars to every household in the district. These will be hung on the back of your bin.

Each calendar also has the plans for Christmas collections, what your deliveries are through 2021 and how you can help us with your excess cardboard.

2021 dates will be available in PDF format on our website from 30 November. Find your schedule online.

Asda stops priority deliveries

Asda has stopped accepting new referrals from the National Shielding Support System for priority supermarket deliveries.

Asda are continuing to offer priority supermarket deliveries to those Clinically Extremely Vulnerable people who are on their system and have accessed delivery slots before 05 November.

The six supermarkets still in the scheme are Iceland, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.

Leisure centres to reopen

Huncote Leisure Centre and Enderby Leisure and Golf Centre, Everyone Active will reopen their doors on Wednesday 02 December following a month's closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both leisure centres will reopen with strict safety measures in place to minimise risks.

The activities on offer will depend on the tier we are in, with the Everyone Active website having full information. » Less