The Parish Council is committed to keeping the play park open during lock down. However this is dependent on users acting safely and responsibly to limit the spread of the virus. The advice is taken from the government guidelines for play parks. If we receive complaints about the guidelines not being followed we will have no option but to close the park to protect the wider community particularly our most vulnerable members.

Holbeton Play Park. Lockdown guidelines 06/01.

• Only 6 people ( includes adults and children)are permitted in the play park at the same time.
• These can be from separate households but social distancing must be observed between separate households.

• If the play park is busy only one parent/carer is allowed in with a child.

• Please queue observing social distancing along the left hand side of the path.
• If there is a queue please exit via the community orchard.

• If there is a queue please be considerate and limit the time you stay.

• Only ONE child is allowed on each piece of equipment at a time. Swings can both be used as they have a 2 meter distance.

• No eating or drinking in the playground. This would be a high risk for transmission.

• Parents/Carers: You will need to clean the equipment before your child uses it. Use hand sanitiser or wipes (anti-viral or a soapy cloth) to clean your children’s hands before and after use.
• During lock down  children cannot use the park unless they are supervised. This is because they re unlikely to maintain social distancing without adult supervision.

• Do not touch your face. Remember to cough or sneeze into a tissue (use an arm if a tissue is not available).

• Take tissues and wipes home or put them into the bin provided outside the village hall. Sanitise your hands after doing this.

• Remind children not to put their mouths on equipment or their hands in their mouths.

• It is recommended that children’s clothes should be washed when they get home.

• Families with clinically vulnerable members: Do NOT use the equipment without first cleaning it.
• Anyone child or adult with covid symptoms MUST NOT use this playpark and should follow national advice on isolating themselves.

The new lockdown commenced at midnight on 04/01. Requirements will be legally binding.

The following information is in summary. More detail is available on the government website -link attached.

What we can and can't do.

* we are required to stay at home.

* we can leave home for exercise once a day. This can be with one other person from another household  if you are exercising alone, but not sharing a car to get there. The two of you need to maintain a 2 meter distance ( or one meter plus with a mask) and be in a public space, not a garden. Households and bubbles can exercise together but not with anyone else.

* we can only drive to somewhere to exercise if we are unable to exercise from our home and should remain within our village. ( for us I would interpret this to mean parish but am happy to be corrected!)

* We should work from home wherever possible.

*we cannot go on holiday or visit/ stay at  second homes.

Reasons to leave home include:

Please remember the new more transmissible ( basically it is more infectious) variant is active in Devon. This means it is essential that we all adhere to the guidelines to reduce the number of people infected. Please follow the hands, space, face  advice.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

What is the Parish Council doing?

The play park will remain open for this lock down but users will need to follow more stringent guidelines. These will be posted separately and placed at the entrance.

The sports field at Battisborough Cross will remain open for exercise as per the  guidelines above. Dogs are not to be exercised on the field.

The Reading Rooms will be closed.

The Community Orchard will remain open, please use appropriately and respect social distancing.

The bike track will be closed. This is because it is less used in winter but also in our small way to reduce the pressure on A&E from accidents.

For those who are shielding and need support whether that be prescription collection, shopping, travel to essential appointments such as vaccinations or even just a regular phone call for a chat please contact Cllr Andrew Hollett 830361 and he will liaise with Cllr Timlin Brown who is our volunteer coordinator.

We are aware from our experience over the past 11 months that those who follow the rules become understandably upset by those who do not and often contact a Councillor.

As stated in a previous post as a Parish Council we have no power to enforce these regulations but  we are more than happy to continue listening to people's concerns and advise you as to the best way to proceed.

Concerns about people flouting regulations can be easily reported on the Devon and Cornwall Police website. https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/contact/ Please do not use the 999 service , this is for life threatening emergencies. Please be very sure your concerns are accurate and be aware people can have visitors if they live alone and are part of a support bubble.

Concerns about businesses not adhering to the regulations can be reported to environmental health.  https://apps.southhams.gov.uk/webreportit  Select Other from the drop down list or telephone 01803 861234. Emergency and out of hours 01803 867034.

Devon County Council have updated their Coronavirus website and it now includes links to all the relevant data for Devon in an accessible format. The following advice/information is taken from that site.

Devon, so far, is doing well to keep the number of confirmed cases low, even after there’s been easing of lockdown restrictions. That’s largely due to residents, and visitors, sticking to the guidance. There is no sign of any impact from the relaxation of lockdown or increased visitor numbers.

"To protect yourself and others, when you leave home you must:

• keep washing your hands regularly

• wear a face covering over your nose and mouth in enclosed spaces

• stay at least a metre, or better still two, away from people not in your household."

We're still posting the latest national, regional and local updates and developments, but recently we've included links to the available data.

"The data is publicly available from different sources, but we've pulled it together into the one place to give Devon residents and visitors to the county access to the latest information.

Devon County Council is also actively recruiting people to work in the Adult Care sector, particularly people aged 16 - 25 years who would be interested in making it their long term career choice. Details are available on the following link.

https://www.proudtocaredevon.org.uk/careers/

The government has recommended further lockdown easing measures from June 1st. Six people from differing households (England only) can meet OUTSIDE maintaining social distancing. This includes gardens. Regular hand washing is required and it is recommended people take their own cups/utensils etc. Visitors should only enter the house if it is the only way to access the garden. Entering the house to use the toilet should be avoided wherever possible (unless it's your house!!). If you do have to use the toilet facilities you should wash your hands before and after doing so. All hard surfaces should be wiped down with an appropriate cleaner before leaving the premises.

It is now a crime to stay at someone else's home overnight, or to hold gatherings of two or more people indoors or more than six people outdoors, under new legislation.

Minimising contact with others is still the best way to prevent transmission. You should also try to avoid seeing people from too many households in quick succession - so that we can avoid the risk of quick transmission from lots of different families and continue to control the virus.

Clinically extremely vulnerable people will be able to go outside with members of their household from Monday, while continuing to follow physical distancing guidelines. Those who live alone can meet outside with one other person from another household while maintaining social distancing. They should not go to the shops etc as before.

The above information is taken from the Prime Minister's statement and press release.

With my public health head on there are some points to consider for our community. This advice is being widely ignored nationally which increases the risk to us all but particularly those in at risk groups ( see previous Post 8 if you are unsure if this applies to you). The contact and trace service is beginning to operate. The criteria are that you will be required to quarantine yourself for 2 weeks if you are identified as having been within one metre of an infected person for a few seconds ( think narrow paths to the beach) or within 2 metres for more than 15 minutes. This gives an indication of how infectious coronavirus is. As stated above minimising contact is the best way to avoid being in this situation. There is also evidence that people are beginning to ignore the isolate advice if they have symptoms , this advice remains as stated in previous posts.