A NEW national lockdown across England means people must stay at home unless for specific reasons, such as attending school or college, or going to the supermarket.

Here's what you can and can’t do during lockdown from midnight on Thursday, November 5:

1. Can I leave home?

Yes, but only for specific purposes. These include:

- for childcare or education, where this is not provided online

- for work purposes, where your place of work remains open and where you cannot work from home

- to exercise outdoors or visit an outdoor public place

- for any medical concerns, reasons, appointments and emergencies, or to avoid or escape risk of injury or harm

- shopping for basic necessities

- to visit members of your support bubble or provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer

2. Can I meet up with family and friends?

You must not meet socially indoors with family or friends unless they are part of your household - meaning the people you live with - or support bubble.

You can exercise or visit outdoor public places with the people you live with, your support bubble, or 1 person from another household.

Outdoor public places include:

- parks, beaches, countryside,

- public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them), allotments

- playgrounds

You cannot meet in a private garden.

3. What will close?

- all non-essential retail, including, but not limited to clothing and electronics stores, vehicle showrooms, travel agents, betting shops, auction houses, tailors, car washes, tobacco and vape shops

- indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks

- entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens

- personal care facilities such as hair, beauty and nail salons, tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services, non-medical acupuncture, and tanning salons.

Food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open.

Non-essential retail can remain open for delivery to customers and click-and-collect.

Hospitality venues like restaurants, bars and pubs must close, but can still provide takeaway and delivery services.

4. Should my children go to school and what are the rules for childcare?

Yes, schools, colleges and universities will all remain open.

Parents will still be able to access some registered childcare and other childcare activities (including wraparound care) where reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, or for the purposes of respite care.

Early years settings can remain open. Parents are able to form a childcare bubble with another household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is 13 or under. As above, some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble, which allows single adult households to join another household.

5. What if I shielded last time?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people over 60 and those who are clinically vulnerable are being told to be especially careful to follow the rules and minimise their contact with others.

Anyone who was formally notified that they should shield last time and not go out to work will be advised not to go out to work this time.

6. Can I go on holiday?

No, you are advised not to travel unless for essential reasons.

Essential travel includes, but is not limited to:

- essential shopping

- travelling to work where your workplace is open or you cannot work from home

- travelling to education and for caring responsibilities

- hospital GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health.

7. What financial support is available?

Workers in any part of the UK can retain their job, even if their employer cannot afford to pay them, and be paid at least 80 per cent of their salary up to £2,500 a month.

The flexibility of the current Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be retained to allow employees to continue to work where they can.

Employers small or large, charitable or non-profit are eligible and because more businesses will need to close, they will now be asked to pay just National Insurance and Pensions contributions for their staff during the month of November.

The Job Support Scheme will not be introduced until after Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.

8. Can weddings take place?

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be permitted to take place except in exceptional circumstances.