THOUSANDS of vulnerable residents in Oxford are still being advised not to meet friends and family inside from next week – despite Covid lockdown rules coming to an end on Monday.

People who were told to shield last March, who are clinically extremely vulnerable, have been issued new Government guidelines ahead of so-called ‘Freedom Day’ on July 19.

This includes avoiding those people who are unvaccinated and continuing to meet with people outside.

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As of July 6, 8,185 patients in Oxford were classified as extremely vulnerable, according to NHS Digital figures.

18 per cent of them were aged between 80 and 89 years old.

There were also 90 children on the list who have been advised to follow this guidance.

The advice from the Government has also suggested those who are at risk may wish to shop at ‘quieter times’.

Steven McIntosh, executive director of advocacy and communications at Macmillan Cancer Support, said many people with cancer were ‘desperately worried’ about how they will stay safe.

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Most people have been classed as vulnerable in Oxford because they were identified by an Oxford University tool that assesses multiple factors to determine whether someone is at risk.

This applied to 52 per cent of patients in the area, where a reason was provided and was followed by those with respiratory conditions that cause breathing difficulties (12 per cent).

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said the most effective form of protection is vaccination.

He added: "By July 19 everyone that is aged 40 and over, along with the clinically extremely vulnerable, will have been offered their second dose."