It is so difficult at a time we all hoped things would look so much brighter to face more lockdowns over the coming months. It is clear however that the government have had no choice, given the staggering increase in cases leading into the new year, and so in order to bring the escalation back under control and successfully roll out the much needed vaccine Nationwide, we all need to once again play our part.
At 8pm last night the Prime Minister announced that England were following suit on a full lockdown with immediate effect, much the same as Nicola Sturgeon had announced for Scotland earlier in the day. All close contact services (including mobile) are included in those businesses that must close in both countries (other than some islands in Scotland) and will be enforceable by law. For full details of the lockdown in England please click here and for Scotland click here.
This morning The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, also announced further business support for this lockdown and the details of that can be accessed here.
Northern Ireland already began a 6 week lockdown on the 26th December (click here for full details) and have now also confirmed they will be extending the remote learning for their schools and that the lockdown will now become enforceable by law too.
Wales instated their full lockdown from the 20th December (click here for details) and this is due to be reviewed after 3 weeks. Given the current circumstances it seems unlikely that theirs will be lifted anytime soon and they have extended their online learning for schools until the 18th January.
We hope that you all remain safe and healthy and we remind anyone who is in dire financial difficulty, and not eligible for any government financial support, to contact The Hair & Beauty Charity here. Mental health is also a bigger concern now than it has been at anytime in the past year. If you are struggling please do not do so alone. Talk to friends, family or your doctor or if you prefer there are amazing organisations out there such as Mind and Rethink .
We will continue to be here for our members and our industry through to the brighter days we know are ahead.