If you’re clinically extremely vulnerable to the effects of Covid19 you should have received a letter confirming this or have been told directly by your GP or hospital clinician from the onset of the pandemic. You were described as ‘shielding’.

What has changed?

The guidance for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to the effects of the virus has been paused. This means:

• you do not need to follow previous shielding advice
• you can go to work as long as the workplace is Covid-secure, but should carry on working from home wherever possible
• children who were shielding should attend education settings in line with the wider guidance on reopening of schools and guidance for full opening: special schools and other specialist settings
• you can go outside as much as you like but you should still try to keep your overall social interactions low
• you can visit businesses, such as supermarkets, pubs and shops, while keeping 2 metres away from others wherever possible or 1 metre, plus other precautions
• you should continue to wash your hands carefully and more frequently than usual and that you maintain thorough cleaning of frequently touched areas in your home and/or workspace
• you will no longer receive free food parcels, medicine deliveries and basic care from the National Shielding Service

You will still be able to get:

• local volunteer support by contacting your local authority
• prescriptions, essential items and food you buy delivered by NHS Volunteer Responders
• priority slots for supermarket deliveries (if you previously registered for free food parcels)

For practical tips on staying safe, see the guidance on how to stay safe outside your home.