Guidance for Bolton

Q+A for Bolton additional travel guidance introduction – 6th September

Contextual information

• Bolton Council has introduced additional guidance to help curb a rising tide of COVID-19 cases, following careful consideration of rates of COVID-19 across England yesterday.
• Residents in the borough of Bolton are asked:
  
  • to only use public transport for essential purposes, which means travel to education, work, and essential appointments only (eg medical)
  • not to mix with households outside of their support bubble in any setting indoors or outdoors.
• This guidance does not prevent people from shopping, going to work or attending child-care settings including schools.

Top lines

• If you live in Bolton, you should consider alternatives to public transport if you are travelling into, within or out of the area.
• You should try to walk, cycle or drive to your destination where possible to help those who need to use public transport maintain social distancing.
• If you do need to use public transport for essential reasons, including to go to work or school, you are still able to do so and you should follow relevant guidance.

Can I still go on holiday?

• You can still go on holiday if you live in Bolton, providing that you only do so with people you have formed a support bubble with.
• You are encouraged to consider alternatives to public transport where possible, to allow others who need to use the public transport network to social distance.

Can I visit another person in another region that isn’t in lockdown?

• You should not travel to meet anybody outside of your household or support bubble in any setting, indoors or outdoors. This includes people who live in a region that is not under the same restrictions.

How can I travel around the region?

• You should consider alternatives to public transport if you are travelling into, within or out of the area.
• You should try to walk, cycle or drive to your destination where possible to help those who need to use public transport maintain social distancing.
• If you do need to use public transport for essential reasons, including to go to work or school, you are still able to do so and you should follow relevant guidance.

Should I stay at home?

• Stay at home guidance has not been issued for the area. You should refer to the guidance published on gov.uk for information on wider restrictions.

Does this mean that we should only travel for essential reasons?

• You should try to avoid public transport for all but essential reasons to help those who do need to use public transport maintain social distancing.
• This guidance does not prevent people from travelling for non-essential reasons, but you should try to walk, cycle or drive to your destination where possible.

What do you class as an ‘essential journey’?

• Essential reasons for using public transport could include (but are not limited to) going to work or school, shopping for basic necessities or to provide care.

What about children travelling to school and college?

• If you do need to use public transport for essential reasons, including to go to work or school, you can still do so.

I need to use public transport to get to work, can I still do that?

• If you do need to use public transport for essential reasons, including to go to work or school, you can still do so.

Does this apply to private vehicles too?

• No, though you should try not to share a car or private vehicle with those outside your immediate household or social bubble. If you need to, you should:
  
  • share the transport with the same people each time
  • keep to small groups of people at any one time
  • open windows for ventilation
  • travel side by side or behind other people, rather than facing them
  • face away from each other
  • consider seating arrangements to maximise distance between people in the vehicle
  • clean your car between journeys using standard cleaning products – make sure you clean door handles and other areas that people may touch
  • ask the driver and passengers to wear a face covering

Will you be taking any further action to help enforce this e.g. closing specific roads off to traffic?

• No. This is guidance only at this stage.

Are there any consequences for breaking this travel guidance? Could you face a fine?

• No. This is guidance only but it is important to follow it to avoid further restrictions being introduced, should infection rates worsen.
• Other enforcement action may be taken if you are found to have breached the wider restrictions in the area.
  

Why not make this mandatory? If infection rates are rising surely that’s the only way to deal with it?

• The public have made great personal sacrifices in the fight against Covid-19 so far and we have seen excellent levels of co-operation in response to our safer travel guidance.
• We expect the public to continue to use their common sense and follow all guidance when travelling into, within and out of a protected area.

How long will these be in place for?

• The Government has committed to reviewing local lockdown measures at least every 2 weeks.