It's been 11 weeks, as in the partner Preston the lockdown has started, imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, the restrictions applied to everyone and ordered them to stay at home except to go out (once a day) for an hour to fresh air with people from the same household, for shopping, for medical or professional reasons, if it is not possible to work at home. Elderly people or those with health problems were advised not to leave their home at all. Only some stores, meeting the immediate needs of residents, were open. Schools were only available to children of people who had to work: doctors, nurses, people distributing food or children in difficult home situations.

 From today, June 1, the restrictions are gradually lifted: now group meetings of up to six people are allowed, but you can gather in gardens and other private outdoor spaces. There is no indication of meeting indoors. People who are particularly vulnerable are still recommended to stay at home.

 Currently, more stores are open (with a distance of 2 meters), although the leisure industry, restaurants (other than take-away) and hotels are still not allowed to open.

Although the government has allowed primary schools in England to be open to several year-olds of primary school students, some local authorities, including Preston, are against it.

The National relaxation of rules is happening too quickly for Preston because it is one of 18 places in England that the authorities think have not yet reached their peak of infection. It is potentially dangerous time and a lot of people are expecting there to be large increase in the number of cases and deaths of Corvid19. 

The health system in Preston is currently coping with the coronavirus pandemic but other non-urgent medical treatment has been postponed. By 30th May Preston has 436 cases and 207 died in the hospitals covering Preston and another small local town. Other people have died outside of the hospitals but numbers are not available at a local level for these deaths. A third of care homes in the region that look after elderly and very disabled people have had instances of Corvid19.

The Preston Twinning Partnership Committee currently has very limited options because there are no visits to twin towns and everyone is focused on the pandemic. Some members of the Partnership Committee are at risk and need to stay at home.

- On a more positive point people are more friendly and help others. Most streets have set up groups to help people who cannot leave their homes by doing their shopping, giving them activities to help relieve their boredom, and phoning them - emphasizes Trisha Rollo from the Preston Twinning, dealing with contacts with Kalisz. - The City Council has also introduced an initiative called Preston Together to help people in need, by putting them in touch with organizations and volunteers that can assist them - she adds.