WE ARE sure you all know by now that the government has announced the next stage in easing of lockdown restrictions.

Whilst the national roadmap to recovery has been laid out, officers at Harlow Council have been working on our own recovery plan for the town, which includes planning for reopening our remaining services.

We can announce that, from today, we are entering step 1 of our roadmap and the following services are re-opening:

·         Tennis courts, multi-use games areas, basketball courts, the outdoor gym and skate park in the Town Park (open from today)

·         New mutual exchange applications (from Thursday 1 April)

·         Housing inspections for damp repairs, surveys etc. (from Thursday 1 April)

·         Sam’s Place – open for the Easter holidays

Provided the government’s four tests are met, the dates in steps 2, 3 and 4 are when we expect our services to restart.

As a reminder, the four tests which must be met are:

·         The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully

·         Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated

·         Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS

·         The assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern

Please remember that government guidance regarding social distancing, the wearing of face masks etc. still applies as we continue re-introducing our services.

Let’s all keep doing our bit, following the rules and working together for Harlow’s recovery.