The closure of some public buildings in Suffolk has begun, as leisure centres, swimming pools, museums and council front desks are among those to shut their doors.
Ipswich Borough Council chief executive Russell Williams said the Regent Theatre, Town Hall and Corn Exchange, swimming pools and sports centres, the Tourist Information Centre, shopmobility service, the visitor centres in Christchurch and Holywells parks and the Museum, Art Gallery and Christchurch Mansion were all closed to the public.
MORE: Suffolk Coronavirus Facebook pageCemeteries, parks themselves and the crematorium will remain open, as will the council’s Grafton House base - but Mr Williams urged members of the public to phone or visit the website rather than visit in person.
Waste collection and HEARS services will continue as normal.
The council said its position would be reviewed and a decision for next week made by March 20.
At East Suffolk, all non-essential public meetings will be cancelled for the foreseeable future and office-based staff are being encouraged to work from home wherever possible.
MORE: Latest UK coronavirus numbersThe authority said it was keeping its leisure centres open for the time being, but encouraged members of the public not to visit its offices in Lowestoft or Melton.
West Suffolk Council said its leisure centres were run by Abbeycroft Leisure, which currently remained open, but were carrying out additional cleaning of equipment and asked gym-goers to wipe down machines after they had used them.
Currently, it has no plans to cancel any meeting or close its front desks in Mildenhall or Bury St Edmunds, but continued to follow government guidance.
However, it confirmed that West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village and Moyse’s Hall Museum were closed until further notice. West Stow Country Park remains open.
MORE: Bookmark our coronavirus topic page for all the latest informationSuffolk County, Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils have all been approached over changes to their services.
A summary of the closures is listed below:
-Ipswich Museum
-Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich
-Ipswich Borough Council-run gyms
-Crown Pools, Ipswich
-Fore Street Pool, Ipswich
-Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds
-West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village
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