In the tenth week of lockdown and next week I will be
returning to actual Parliament rather than the virtual one we have been working
in over the past month or so. While the virtual Parliament was acceptable in
getting the job done, I think most of my colleagues would join me in preferring
to be back in Parliament itself, albeit with strict social distancing rules in
place.
This week is half term and over the recent Bank Holiday
Weekend things in Cornwall were not as busy as some thought they would be. That
being said, last Thursday I did raise concerns about the numbers of people
sleeping in vans overnight at places like Perranporth with the local police and
was pleased to see them taking action promptly to help stop this breaking of
the lockdown rules.
However despite the warnings it was very sad to several deaths
and injuries in Cornish waters over the weekend – this shows why it is so
important to heed Coastguard advice and take extra care while in the water at
this time.
I was pleased to see at the end of the week that Cornwall
will be receiving a £759,000 share of the £250 million for new cycling and
walking infrastructure announced earlier this month. The council can use this
money to fast-track plans for new walking and cycling lanes in Cornwall.
I have long been a supporter of investing in new and
existing cycling infrastructure such as we have seen come forward to link
Perranporth and Newquay. This announcement will allow people to continue to
walk and cycle more as has been the trend during lockdown and will encourage
more people to choose alternatives to public transport when they need to
travel.
On Saturday the Government also announced that Cornwall
will be receiving a share of more than half a million pounds as part of a £50m
Government boost to support the recovery of our high streets in introducing
measures to allow them to reopen safely.
In connection with this, on Sunday the Prime Minister
announced that outdoor markets and car showrooms will be able to reopen from 1
June, as soon as they are able to meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines to
protect shoppers and workers. As with garden centres, the risk of transmission
of the virus is lower in these outdoor and more open spaces. Car showrooms
often have significant outdoor space and it is generally easier to apply social
distancing.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that all other
non-essential retail including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture,
books, and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and
indoor markets, will be expected to be able to reopen from 15 June if the
Government’s five tests are met and they follow the COVID-19 secure guidelines,
giving them three weeks to prepare.
Businesses will only be able to open from these dates once
they have completed a risk assessment, in consultation with trade union
representatives or workers, and are confident they are managing the risks. They
must have taken the necessary steps to become COVID-19 secure in line with the
current Health and Safety legislation.
My team and I are here to help during this crisis. You can
email me at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, call me on 0207 2193713
(messages will be picked up), and my website www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk and
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thisischerilyn are all regularly updated
with matters relating both to the current crisis and other useful news and
information. Please do get in touch if you need any help or have questions for
me.
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