The council has announced that all public buildings will close until further notice.

All Braintree Council public buildings are now closed to the public following Government advice and guidance on Coronavirus.

The closures apply to Braintree Council offices, Braintree Town Hall and Braintree Enterprise Centre.

Residents are being reassured by the Council that it is continuing to deliver its services to help combat the spread of coronavirus.

Cllr Graham Butland, said: “This is a decision that we haven’t made lightly as we know it will have an impact on residents and visitors.

“However, we feel it needs to happen to do our bit to protect our residents and staff from the spread of coronavirus.

“We want to reassure everyone that even though we will be closing Council buildings, other services continue to run as normal.

“We will be collecting people’s bins and recycling sacks, supporting the vulnerable in our communities and working with partners to help our communities through this period.

“Many of the buildings will remain in use by Council staff who continue to work round the clock to deliver services and help those in need.

“We’re keeping the situation under constant review and will update people with any changed to our services.

“I would like to thank our communities for their patience, kindness and resilience during this time.”

Essex County Council also announced that they are closing all county parks.

The council tweeted the announcement, saying the measures were “necessary to ensure social distancing.”

The closures include Great Notley County Park, Flitch Way and Danbury Country Park.

The announcement said: “We are closing our county parks from 8pm today (Sunday 22 March).

“This is necessary to ensure social distancing and limit the spread of coronavirus.

“The country parks will be closed until further notice. Thank you for your understanding.”