Following last night’s update from the Prime Minister, the government has now set into place much stricter guidelines for staying at home and protecting us all from the spread of Corona Virus. With this morning’s headline talking of a ‘police enforced lock down’ it’s easy to panic and think of the worst, so we’ve broken everything down to make things as clear as possible. The single most important thing to remember is to STAY AT HOME and you should only leave your house for one of four reasons: 1. Shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible. 2. One form of exercise a day away from home, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household. 3. Any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person. 4. Travelling to and from work, but only where this absolutely cannot be done from home. These four reasons are exceptions – even when doing these activities, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are 2 metres apart from anyone outside of your household. All non-essential shops and public spaces will also now be closed. This includes: • libraries, community centres, and youth centres. • indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, arcades and soft play facilities. • communal places within parks, such as playgrounds, sports courts and outdoor gyms. • places of worship, except for funerals attended by immediate families. • hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, campsites, caravan parks, and boarding houses for commercial/leisure use (excluding permanent residents and key workers). To make sure people are staying at home and apart from each other, the Government is also stopping all public gatherings of more than two people apart from when with your family (for example a mother with 2 children) or where it is ESSENTIAL for work purposes. We know these are uncertain times, but here at Whitcombe HR we will be here to support you and your business all the way. Why don’t you try some of the following tips for things to do at home? • Try an at-home workout such a HIIT or yoga- a couple of our favourites are: Joe Wickes & Yoga With Adriene • Get out in the garden and make the most of all the free Vitamin D – mow the lawn, get muddy digging up worms with your kids, or just sip a hot drink and listen to the birds. • Tick off some of that ‘life admin’ that has been bugging you – filing away bills, tax returns, changing details with banks and other utilities that may need updating. • Declutter – Mrs Hinch certainly knows the benefits of a good house clean & declutter. • Have a movie day with your children (or on your own) – pull out the popcorn, get the blankets out and make the most of some chill time. • Why don’t you start a journal? Studies show that putting pen to paper and journaling your thoughts can really help your mental health and put your mind at ease. • Colouring – for kiddies and adults. You don’t even need to worry about going out to the shops to buy a book if you don’t have one – just prints some images off from the internet. • Jigsaw puzzles – they’re not just for Christmas and are a great way to distract and focus your mind. • Keep connected! Don’t forget to keep in touch with friends and family. Call, skype, zoom, write a letter – anything to stay close to the ones you love the most. For more information on this topic, please read our blog: CORONAVIRUS – Guidance to help us all.
