I hope you had a pleasant, if different, Christmas this year.
The arrival of a more infectious strain of coronavirus is a worrying development and, although we are fortunate in Dorset to have lower rates of infection than many, we must all be particularly vigilant in the coming weeks. Here is a summary of the current LDWA rules applicable in England at the moment:
Walkers must notattend LDWA social walks if they or a member of their permitted ‘bubble’ has recently been diagnosed with or show any Covid-19 symptoms, are awaiting test results or are self-isolating under current Government guidance.
Walkers must adhere to local tiered lockdown rules when travelling to a social walk.
LDWA activities are currently barred in Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas and walkers must not travel from these areas to attend walks in Tiers 1 or 2.
Walkers must not car share unless they are from the same household or part of a permitted ‘bubble’ from another household.
Walks of up to 12 are permitted provided the group is split into 2 groups of no more than 6 and there is no mixing between these groups
Social distancing must apply where practicable throughout the walk between fellow walkers and members of the public.
All walkers must carry an appropriate hand sanitiser, a face covering and a small first aid kit.
Walkers must not share personal items / equipment / food during a walk.
Finally:
Walkers who have mixed with people from Tier 3 or 4 over Xmas are asked not to attend a Dorset LDWA walk until 10 days have elapse since last contact.
I am sorry that this will mean that some of our regular walkers from adjoining counties will not be able to attend in the short term, but hopefully there will soon be real progress with the vaccine roll-out and perhaps we can look forward to more normal times in the Spring.
Keep safe and let's hope that 2021 brings a return to normality.
