Your ultimate guide to what you can and can’t do in lockdown
LEAVING HOME
You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:
■ shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
■ go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
■ exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
■ meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
■ seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
■ Attend medical appointments
■ attend education or childcare – for those eligible
Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term. Early Years settings remain open.
Higher Education provision will remain online until mid February for all except future critical worker courses.
If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work.
You must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a “reasonable excuse”. This will be put in law. The police can take action against you if you leave home without a “reasonable excuse”, and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).
You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
A “reasonable excuse” includes the reasons stated above, and also include:
■ Animal welfare reasons – you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.
■ Communal worship and life events – You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. Weddings and civil ceremonies may only take place in exceptional circumstances.
There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.
You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one).
Stay two metres apart from anyone not in your household.
SUPPORT AND CHILDCARE BUBBLES
You have to meet certain eligibility rules to form a support or childcare bubble. This means not everyone will be able to form a bubble.
A support bubble is a support network which links two households. You can form a support bubble with another household of any size only if you meet the eligibility rules.
It is against the law to form a support bubble if you do not follow these rules.
You are permitted to leave your home to visit your support bubble (and to stay overnight with them). However, if you form a support bubble, it is best if this is with a household who live locally. This will help prevent the virus spreading from an area where more people are infected.
If you live in a household with anyone aged under 14, you can form a childcare bubble. This allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare.
You must not meet socially with your childcare bubble, and must avoid seeing members of your childcare and support bubbles at the same time.
OTHER PERMITTED CIRCUMSTANCES
There are still circumstances in which you are allowed to meet others from outside your household, childcare or support bubble in larger groups, but this should not be for socialising and only for permitted purposes. Circumstances included in the regulations include:
■ for work, or providing voluntary or charitable services, where it is unreasonable to do so from home. This can include work in other people’s homes where necessary - for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople. (See guidance on working safely in other people’s homes). Where a work meeting does not need to take place in a private home or garden, it should not - for example, although you can meet a personal trainer, you should do so in a public outdoor place.
■ in a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)
Where eligible to use these services, for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children. Access to education and childcare facilities is restricted.
■ for arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians
■ to allow contact between birth parents and children in care, as well as between siblings in care
■ for prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them
■ to place or facilitate the placing of a child or children in the care of another by social services
■ for birth partners
■ to provide emergency assistance, and to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
■ to see someone who is dying
■ to fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service
■ for gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention tention centres
■ to provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer
■ for a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances and only for up to six people
■ for funerals – up to a maximum of 30 people. Wakes and other linked ceremonial events can continue in a group of up to six people.
■ to visit someone at home who is dying, or to visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home, or to accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment
■ for elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents/ guardians if they are under 18) - or those on an official elite sports pathway – to compete and train
■ to facilitate a house move Support groups that have to be delivered in person can continue with up to 15 participants where formally organised to provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support – but they must take place at a premises other than a private home.
If you break the rules
The police can take action against you if you meet in larger groups. This includes breaking up illegal gatherings and issuing fines (fixed penalty notices).
You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400. If you hold, or are involved in holding, an illegal gathering of more than 30 people, the police can issue fines of £10,000.
PROTECTING PEOPLE MORE AT RISK FROM CORONAVIRUS
If you are clinically vulnerable, you could be at higher risk of severe ill illness from coronavirus. Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.
TRAVEL
You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes). If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall. The list of reasons you can leave your home and area include, but are not limited to:
■ work, where you cannot reasonably work from home
■ accessing education and for caring responsibilities
■ visiting those in your support bubble – or your childcare bubble for childcare
■ visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
■ buying goods or services that you need, but this should be within your local area wherever possible
■ outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)
■ attending the care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services
If you need to travel, walk or cycle where possible, and plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on pub
lic transport. This will allow you to practice social distancing while you travel.
Avoid car sharing with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble.
If you need to use public transport, you should follow the safer travel guidance.
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
You can only travel internationally – or within the UK – where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.
UK residents currently abroad do not need to return home immediately. However, you should check with your airline or travel operator on arrangements for returning.
Foreign nationals are subject to the ‘Stay at Home’ regulations. You should not travel abroad unless it is permitted. This means you must not go on holiday.
If you are visiting the UK, you may return home. You should check whether there are any restrictions in place at your destination.
STAYING AWAY FROM HOME OVERNIGHT
You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.
This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don’t live with unless they’re in your support bubble.
You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:
■ are visiting your support bubble
■ are unable to return to your main residence
■ need accommodation while moving house
■ need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event
■ require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
■ are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
■ are homeless, seeking asylum, a vulnerable person seeking refuge, or if escaping harm (including domestic abuse)
■ are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition
■ If you are already on holiday, you should return to your home as soon as practical.
GOING TO WORK
You may only leave your home for work if you cannot reasonably work from home.
Where people cannot work from home – including, but not limited to, people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing – they should continue to travel to their workplace. This is essential to keeping the country operating and supporting sectors and employers.
Public sector employees working in essential services, including childcare or education, should continue to go into work.
Where it is necessary for you to work in other people’s homes – for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople – you can do so. Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where Covid-19 secure measures may not be in place.
Employers and employees should discuss their working arrangements, and employers should take every possible step to facilitate their employees working from home, including providing suitable IT and equipment to enable remote working.
GOING TO SCHOOL, COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY
Colleges, primary (reception onwards) and secondary schools will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. All other children will learn remotely until February half term.
In the circumstances, it is not expected that exams in the summer to go ahead as planned. Work is ongoing to put in place alternative arrangements that will allow students to progress fairly.
Public exams and vocational assessments scheduled to take place in January will go ahead as planned. Universities
Those students who are undertaking training and study for the following courses should return to face to face learning as planned and be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days:
■ Medicine & dentistry
■ Subjects allied to medicine/health
■ Veterinary science
■ Education (initial teacher training)
■ Social work
■ Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and which cannot be rescheduled (your university will notify you if this applies to you).
If you live at university, you should not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time.
For those students who are eligible for face to face teaching, you can meet in groups of more than your household as part of your formal education or training, where necessary.
ACCESSING CHILDCARE
There are several ways that parents and carers can continue to access childcare:
■ Early Years settings (including nurseries and childminders) remain open
■ Vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities (including wraparound care)
■ parents are able to form a childcare bubble with one other household for the purposes of informal childcare, where the child is under 14. This is mainly to enable parents to work, and must not be used to enable social contact between adults
■ some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble
■ nannies will be able to continue to provide services, including in the home
CARE HOME VISITS
Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, or behind windows. Close-contact indoor visits are not allowed. No visits will be permitted in the event of an outbreak.
WEDDINGS, CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS, RELIGIOUS SERVICES AND FUNERALS
Weddings, civil partnership ceremonies and funerals are allowed with strict limits on attendance, and must only take place in Covid-19 secure venues or in public outdoor spaces unless in exceptional circumstances.
Funerals can be attended by a maximum of 30 people. Linked religious, belief-based or commemorative events can also continue with up to six people in attendance. Anyone working is not counted in these limits. Social distancing should be maintained between people who do not live together or share a support bubble
Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies must only take place with up to six people. Anyone working is not included. These should only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, an urgent marriage where one of those getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover, or is to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery.
PLACES OF WORSHIP
You can attend places of worship for a service. However, you must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble. You should maintain strict social distancing at all times.
You should follow the national guidance on the safe use of places of worship.
SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Indoor gyms and sports facilities will remain closed. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/ driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close. Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.
MOVING HOME
You can still move home. People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary.
Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work. If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.
BUSINESSES AND VENUES WHICH MUST CLOSE
To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. The full list can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:
■ non-essential retail, such as clothing and homeware stores, vehicle showrooms (other than for rental), betting shops, tailors, tobacco and vape shops, electronic goods and mobile phone shops, auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment) and market stalls selling non-essential goods. These venues can continue to be able to operate click-and-collect and delivery services.
■ hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through.
■ accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
■ leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms,. swimming pools, sports courts, fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.
■ entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries
■ animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)
BUSINESSES AND VENUES WHICH CAN REMAIN OPEN
The full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:
■ essential retail such as food shops, supermarkets, pharmacies, garden centres, building merchants and suppliers of building products and offlicences
■ market stalls selling essential retail may also stay open
■ businesses providing repair services may also stay open, where they primarily offer repair services
■ petrol stations, automatic (but not manual) car washes, vehicle repair and MOT services, bicycle shops, and taxi and vehicle hire businesses
■ banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
■ funeral directors
■ launderettes and dry cleaners
■ medical and dental services
■ vets and retailers of products and food for animals
■ animal rescue centres, boarding facilities and animal groomers
PUBLIC SERVICES
The majority of public services will continue and you will be able to leave home to visit them. These include:
■ the NHS and medical services like GPs and dentists.
■ Jobcentre Plus sites
■ courts and probation services
■ civil registrations offices
■ passport and visa services
■ services provided to victims
■ waste or recycling centres