COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021 (Summary)
Published 22 February 2021
Mr
Johnson's
plan
for
easing
restrictions
will
be
split
into
four
separate
steps
and
will
see
the
country
treated
as
a
whole,
with
no
return
to
a
tier system.
Step 1
•
Priority is to ensure that all children and students return safely to face-to-face education in schools and colleges from
8 March
.
•
Childcare and children’s supervised activities can also resume where necessary to enable parents to work or engage in similar activities.
•
There
will
be
twice-weekly
rapid
testing
for
secondary
and
college
pupils
-
in
addition
to
regular
testing
for
all
teachers
-
to
reduce
the
chance of the virus spreading in schools.
•
Higher Education students at English universities on practical courses can also return from 8 March.
__________
•
People
will
be
allowed
to
leave
home
for
recreation
and
exercise
outdoors
with
their
household
or
support
bubble,
if
they
are
eligible
for
one, or with one person from outside their household.
•
Care home residents will also be allowed one regular visitor.
•
From
29
March
,
when
most
schools
start
to
break
up
for
the
Easter
holidays,
outdoor
gatherings
(including
in
private
gardens)
of
either
6
people (the Rule of 6) or 2 households will also be allowed, making it easier for friends and families to meet outside.
•
Outdoor
sports
facilities
such
as
tennis
and
basketball
courts,
and
open-air
swimming
pools,
will
also
be
allowed
to
reopen,
and
people
will be able to take part in formally organised outdoor sports.
_________
•
The
‘stay
at
home’
rule
will
end
on
29
March
but
many
restrictions
will
remain
in
place.
People
should
continue
to
work
from
home
where
they can and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible, avoiding travel at the busiest times and routes.
•
Travel abroad will continue to be prohibited, other than for a small number of permitted reasons.
•
Holidays
abroad
will
not
be
allowed,
given
it
will
remain
important
to
manage
the
risk
of
imported
variants
and
protect
the
vaccination
programme.
The government has launched a new taskforce to review global travel which will report on 12 April.
______________________________________________________________________
ELECTIONS:
The
roadmap
explains
that
Covid-secure
council,
mayoral
and
police
and
crime
commissioner
elections
will
go
ahead
on
May
6
in
England
and Wales.
The
Government
plans
to
amend
the
coronavirus
regulations
'to
enable
a
broader
range
of
campaign-related
activity
from
March
8,
but
it is essential that this still takes place in a Covid-Secure way, in line with guidance and the law'.
______________________________________________________________________
Step Two:
'No earlier than' April 12
The
Government's
roadmap
explains
that
Step
Two
will
take
place
no
earlier
than
April
12,
around
four
weeks
after
Step
One
has
been
implemented.
Step
Two
will
reopen
some
sections
of
our
indoor
economy
and
more
outdoor
settings,
restoring
jobs
and
livelihoods
and
enabling
people
to
access some activities and services.
However,
social
contact
rules
in
England
will
not
change
further
at
this
point
and
outdoor
gatherings
must
still
be
limited
to
six
people
or
two
households as in Step One.
If
Step
Two
is
delayed,
'subsequent
steps
will
need
to
be
pushed
back
in
order
to
maintain
the
necessary
five
week
period
to
assess
the
impact of each step and provide notice'.
•
HAIRDRESSERS AND NON-ESSENTIAL HOSPITALITY:
Non-essential retail will reopen no earlier than April 12 as well as personal care businesses like hairdressers, barbers and nail salons.
Public buildings like libraries, museums and art galleries will be allowed to welcome back customers.
Meanwhile, hospitality venues and outdoor attractions like theme parks will be given the green light to reopen in some form.
However,
there
will
still
be
rules
on
household
mixing:
Essentially
any
activity
which
involves
being
indoors
will
be
restricted
to
members
of
the same household.
•
GYMS AND LEISURE:
Gyms
and
swimming
pools
will
also
reopen
from
at
the
earliest
April
12
but
only
on
the
basis
that
people
go
on
their
own
or
with
members
of
their own household.
•
PUBS AND RESTAURANTS:
Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen from April 12 at the earliest, but at this point they will only be able to have customers outdoors.
Any visits to a pub or restaurant will have to comply with the rules on social contact, so no more than two households or the rule of six.
The
Government
will
not
be
bringing
back
the
old
requirement
for
people
to
order
a
substantial
meal
with
alcohol
while
the
old
10pm
curfew
will also be ditched.
All customers at hospitality venues will have to be seated when they order food or drink, with ordering at the bar prohibited.
•
CAMPSITES AND HOLIDAYS:
Campsites
and
holiday
lets
where
indoor
facilities
are
not
shared
with
other
households
can
also
reopen
but
trips
must
be
restricted
to
a
single household.
•
WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS:
Funerals
will
be
allowed
to
continue
with
up
to
30
people,
while
the
rules
on
wedding
receptions
will
be
eased
to
allow
the
number
of
guests
to increase from six to 15.
•
LARGE
CROWDS:
The
Government
will
also
launch
pilot
programmes
in
April
to
see
how
events
with
large
crowds
and
reduced
social
distancing could work.
•
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:
A
new
task
force
looking
at
how
to
increase
inbound
and
outbound
international
travel,
while
also
protecting
against
importing
coronavirus
variants, will report on April 12.
The expectation is that international travel will not resume until May 17 at the very earliest.