The Health Secretary has explained why the rules for people who have been shielding changed today. Over the weekend, the government announced that some of the nation's most vulnerable people would be allowed to leave their homes today (Monday) for the first time in 10 weeks.
Those who have been shielding can now venture outdoors once a day, either with members of their household or one person from another household, while continuing to follow social distancing guidelines.
The new guidance was published on Sunday and came into place today. Previously, the government had said people who had to shield - classed as the most vulnerable in our society - would have to remain indoors until the end of June.