Dudley Council has issued advice to those who have been shielding for the past few months.

The latest period of shielding has come to an end as of yesterday (April 1), but the council are advising those to continue working from home and to shop at quieter times.
This comes as nearly four million people will no longer be asked to shield to protect themselves from Covid-19.

Originally 2.2 million clinically extremely vulnerable people were advised to take the measure, and 1.7 million more were added to the list in February.

Karen Wright, director of public health at Dudley Council, said: “The number of positive cases is far lower now than what it would have been when this latest period of shielding began but nonetheless, we are still seeing positive cases across the borough.
“Our advice to anyone who has been shielding is to take small steps in returning to some level of normality to keep the risks they face as low as possible.
"Please access the local support that is available to help you in the coming weeks.”

The National Shielding Support Service is now closed as of March 31, but anyone already registered will continue to receive priority access to supermarket delivery slots until June 21.

People can still access local support by calling the council’s pleased to meet you team via 01384 812761 or communitysupportserv@dudley.gov.uk or call the Covid support line on 0300 3302 152.