Cornwall told stick to Covid rules when restrictions ease or 'risk return to lockdown'
Public Health officials in the Duchy have issued a warning ahead of the changes coming into effect on Monday (29th March)
Cornwall is being urged to follow the rules when more coronavirus restrictions lift, or 'risk a return to lockdown'.
Public health officials in the Duchy say residents and visitors thinking of travelling here MUST stick to the guidelines.
They warn breaking the roadmap risks allowing Covid to creep back into our communities.
Officials said: "This would not only put the lives of our most vulnerable residents at risk, it would also jeopardise our route out of lockdown and back to doing the things we love".
Scroll down to check the changes that come into effect on Monday 29th March.
What changes come into effect on Monday 29th March?
People can meet outside, including in private gardens, either with one other household or as a group of six.
The 'stay at home' rule will end, but people are encouraged to 'stay local' and to keep travel to a minimum.
Outdoor sports facilities such as golf courses and tennis courts can reopen, and organised outdoor sport can take place.
Outdoor parent and child groups are allowed with up to 15 parents.
It is important to note that the rules do not allow people to mix indoors, and there should be no long-distance travelling or overnight stays, which includes single households staying in a second home.
People are also being reminded that although the vaccine programme in Cornwall is on track and working well, having the jab does not give people a green light to ignore the rules.
The new rules are part of the first step in the Government's roadmap for reopening the country after lockdown.
Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "I would urge everyone to make sure they know what the new rules are and not to break them.
"With the vaccine rollout going well and Covid cases having reduced due to the lockdown, it is easy to see how people might drop their guard and bend the rules in order to get that much-missed normality back in their lives. But this would be a huge mistake.
"It wouldn't take much for the virus to creep back into our lives and communities and if that happens we could end up spending much longer living with these restrictions.
"No one wants another lockdown. So if you want to get back to doing the things you love, make sure you follow the rules, remember 'hands, face and space' and get your vaccine as soon as it is offered to you".
Rachel Wigglesworth, Director of Public Health for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Cornwall Council will be running an advertising campaign from next week to remind people of the rules so make sure you listen to your local radio stations and look out for our posters.