Hastings Pier Reopens & COVID-19 Latest Guidance - 1st April.

According to posts on the Hastings Pier facebook page, the Pier reopens tomorrow, Friday the 1st of April, honest, not a joke. 👌 Although, on the sidebar of that page it says it is open now, as I write a day earlier, maybe that is a joke!?! Whatever, I decided to share the news about the Pier reopening and the latest guidance about COVID-19 today, just in case anyone thought I may be joking tomorrow, that being All Fools' Day, so this blog is most definitely serious, and I shan't be blogging tomorrow...

The Bier Garden will be back, food in the Pavilion will now be provided by Rockpool Bar and Grill, and much live music will return too; details can be found on facebook. Spring opening times will be 09.00-21.00 Sundays to Thursdays, and 09.00-23.00 on Fridays and Saturdays; so Hastings Pier gates should be open tomorrow at 09.00!

I share below the basics of the latest Government advice, Living with Covid (Step Whatever!), particularly that free Lateral Flow Tests are no longer available free to the general public. For much more information and advice go to the Government website.

• Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available to help protect specific groups including eligible patients and NHS and care staff once the universal testing offer ends on 1 April and next steps for adult social care set out
• Plans in place to enable rapid testing response should a new health threat emerge, such as a new variant of concern emerge
• Vaccines and treatments mean we can transition to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses, with updated guidance published on 1 April

People at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and eligible for treatments, will continue to get free tests to use if they develop symptoms, along with NHS and adult social care staff and those in other high-risk settings, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announced today (Tuesday 29 March).

Free testing for the general public ends on 1 April as part of the Living with Covid plan which last month set out the government’s strategy to live with and manage the virus.

Oh yes, and definitely not funny, English NHS staff can wave goodbye to free parking from tomorrow (BMJ), whereas MPs continue to get free parking (parliament website).

Not to forget that energy prices are rising exponentially! 😒

Stay safe folks, and enjoy the Pier!