Shutdown begins in bid to tackle COVID-19 - The Worcester Observer

Shutdown begins in bid to tackle COVID-19

Worcester Editorial 24th Mar, 2020   0

LIBRARIES, all shops selling non-essential goods, playgrounds, outdoor gyms and places of worship have closed their doors temporarily as Worcester residents wake up to the first day of a three-week shutdown.

The closures came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s address to the nation yesterday (Monday) on the same day the county saw its first Coronavirus death at one of its hospitals. Health chiefs confirmed a patient being treated for COVID-19 died at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

An estimated 21million people watched the Prime Minister announce the biggest crackdown on Briton’s freedom to move around since the war in a bid to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak which has seen 29 reported cases in Worcestershire and one death while nationally there have been 6,661 cases so far and 335 deaths.

From today (Tuesday) city residents will be banned from meeting more than another person in public, asked only to leave home to exercise once a day either alone or with another member of the household and work from home unless it absolutely cannot be done from home.




Shopping for basic necessities such as food and medicine will be allowed but must be as infrequent as possible according to the guidelines while people can leave home to meet a medical need or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person.

This includes moving children under the age of 18 between their parents’ homes, where applicable. Key workers or those with children identified as vulnerable can continue to take their children to school.


The shutdown will be reviewed in three weeks time according to the Prime Minister and legislation to allow the police to enforce parts of the shutdown will be in place by later this week.

Worcester’s libraries have now closed until further notice along with all of the other libraries in the county.

All library loans have been extended until further notice to ensure book lovers will not need to renew their books and not accrue fines on their borrowed items. No outstanding reservations or new reservations will be processed during the shutdown.

E-books, E-audiobooks and e-magazines will be available at www.worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20303/eresources_and_online_information

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