Coronavirus: What can I do in my area?
FROM STAYCATIONS TO SCHOOLS, THE GOVERNMENT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
Q AAI live in a high-risk area. Can I travel to an area in a medium risk area to meet friends who live there for dinner at their house or in a restaurant?
No. You essentially take the level you live in with you – all the rules of the level where you live apply even if you go into a lower level. So you could only meet that group of friends and eat with them outdoors.
Am I safe to go on a staycation in a house with a friend who I am not in a bubble with? We won’t share a bedroom. Yes, if you both live in a medium risk area (Tier 1) and are travelling to a medium-risk area. You can stay overnight away from home, as long as you’re in a group of no more than six or if you’re a single household or bubble.
If you or the other people live in a high (Tier 2) or very high (Tier 3) risk area, or you’re travelling to one, you can’t stay with someone outside your household or bubble.
Q
Q AI’ve had a negative test a week after returning from France. Do I still need to quarantine? Yes. You must self-isolate for 14 days even if you test negative for coronavirus, as it can take up to 14 days for coronavirus symptoms to appear. In England, if you do not complete the required self-isolate period you can be given a fixed penalty notice of £1,000.
Q AI went to a well-known coffee shop chain last week and was not asked to fill out my Test and Trace information. Why not? The Government has introduced a new law to make it mandatory for businesses in the hospitality sector, leisure and tourism sectors, close contact services and community centres and village halls to ask customers for their contact details to support Test and Trace. This doesn’t apply to takeaways, so if a business offers a mixture of sit-in and takeaway services, contact information should only be collected for customers who are dining in.
Q
I run a small company and feel my workers have performed much better since coming back into our Covid-secure office.
Do I really need to tell them to work from home again?
A
Discuss and agree working arrangements with your employees. The Government’s message is clear though – those who can work from home should do so, regardless of preference or Local Covid Alert Level – and workplaces must be Covid-secure. Q
Can my mum come to stay in to look after my son? She lives alone but is in a bubble with my sister, not me. A
If you’re in a medium local Covid alert area and don’t exceed six people in your house, then yes. In a high or very high risk area (Tiers 2 and 3) your mum would only be able to look after your son indoors if he’s under 13 and she’s part of your support bubble or childcare bubble – and she can only be part of one of each. Limit close contact as much as possible, wash your hands and open windows for ventilation where you can.
elderly parents live with us. My mother now needs a carer – which will make us seven. Is this allowed?
AYes, this is allowed as a paid carer is classified as a worker. Where a group includes someone who is working, they are not counted as part of the gatherings limit. There’s specific guidance for people delivering home care, to ensure that appropriate levels of hygiene are achieved to reduce the risk of infection.
Q
Can my daughter’s special-needs respite centre stay open for weekend care? They have more than six people there.
A
Yes. There is an exemption to the legal gatherings limit as long as it provides education, training, support groups, formal registered childcare or supervised activities for children.
QCan I book two tables of six in a restaurant so we can talk to each other, but not gather at each other’s tables?
A
No. Talking across two tables of six would involve forming a larger gathering or mingling, which would be against the law.
Am I allowed to have five friends back to my flat for a drink after the pubs close at 10pm?
A
Yes, if you’re in a medium level area, as long as you practise good hygiene and social distancing; but not if you’re in a high and very high risk area.
Q Q
My daughter has a cold but no cough or fever. Her school has said she needs to have a test for Covid-19 before the let her go back, but the Government is saying not to go for tests unless you have Covid symptoms. What do I do?
Schools can take the decision to refuse a child if in their reasonable judgement it is necessary to protect their pupils and staff from infection with coronavirus. However, any decision would need to be carefully considered in light of all the circumstances and the public health advice. Education and childcare settings should not request evidence of negative test results, or other medical evidence, before admitting children or welcoming them back after a period of self-isolation. Tests are in high demand, so only book one if your child develops one of the three main symptoms of coronavirus: a high temperature, new continuous cough, and a loss of, or change to, their sense of smell or taste.