From today people are being told to stay home and protect the NHS under a second national lockdown to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

The new restrictions, which were announced by Boris Johnson on Saturday, will last for four weeks until December 2 and will see the closure of pubs, gyms and non-essential retail.

MORE: Prime minister announces month-long national lockdownThe raft of restrictions are less strict than the first lockdown which was introduced in March, as schools, colleges and universities can remain open.

So what rules now apply?

These are the main rules which are in place for the next four weeks:

• You must stay at home and can only leave for specific reasons including education, work and childcare

• Schools, universities and colleges will remain open

• Pubs, bars and restaurants are closed but takeaways and deliveries can continue

• Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues are closed

• No household mixing indoors, or in private gardens, unless in your support bubble

• Outdoor exercising is allowed and you can meet one person outside your household

Stay at home

• You should stay at home except for education, work (if it can’t be done from home), exercise and recreation, medical reasons, shopping for food and other essentials, or to care for others.

• You must not mix with other households indoors or in private gardens

• You can meet one person from outside your household in an outdoors public space. Children under five don’t count.

• Support bubbles for people who live alone and single parent households can continue

• Children can move between homes if parents are separated

Education and work

• Workplaces can open for those who cannot work from home, such as construction and manufacturing

• Education settings will remain open

• Those who are clinically vulnerable are advised not to go to work if they can’t work from home

Leisure and hospitality

• All pubs, restaurants and leisure venues including cinemas, theatres, soft play centres and activity centres must close

• Businesses can operate takeaway and delivery services

• Furlough will be extended to support workers through November and December

Shops

• All non-essential shops must close but click-and-collect services and deliveries can continue

• All personal care facilities must close, such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons and staff cannot offer these services in people’s homes

Exercise

• You can exercise outside as much as you want and this can be done with one person outside of your household

• Playgrounds and parks will remain open

• Grassroots team sports are not allowed and all leisure centres and gyms must close

Events

• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be allowed

• Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people

• Places of worship will only be open to allow individual prayer or services to be broadcast to the congregation

In addition to all of the rules above, social distancing must be abided by at all times.

You must remember to wash hands and wear a face covering in indoor settings, where distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

Remember to stay two metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or one metre with extra precautions in place, such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors.