What do the latest lockdown restrictions mean for you?
Last week, the UK Government set out its plan to return life to as near normal as possible. Its plan will look to ease lockdown measures as quickly and fairly as possible in order to safeguard livelihoods, but in a way that is safe and continues to protect the NHS and vulnerable people.
Some children are returning to schools, and more businesses are being allowed to reopen with new rules on how they enforce social distancing.
We’ve broken down what the new guidance around COVID-19 means for you.
Do I still have to stay at home?
Everyone should continue to stay alert and limit contact with others. Staying at home is the easiest way to do this. However, it is now possible to spend more time outdoors, so long as you continue to follow social distancing guidelines – more on that below.
If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, though, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, you should stay at home - this is critical to staying safe and saving lives.
The guidance for people considered to be ‘vulnerable’ continues to be to stay home as much as possible – but with some relaxed guidelines about outdoor activity and meeting others.
If you are aged over 70, you are still advised to stay cautious and, if you do go out, to take particular care to minimise contact with others.
For those with underlying health conditions that put you in the ‘extremely vulnerable’ group, ‘shielding’ remains in place until at least the end of June. The government are continuing to advise individuals in this group to do everything possible to stay at home.
How many people can I meet?
In England, groups of up to six people (including children) from different households can now gather outside, in parks or private gardens.
If you are highly ‘vulnerable’ or having been shielding, you can now go outside, and spend time with one person from outside your household.
Remember, social distancing guidelines - with people from different households remaining 2m apart from each other - still apply.
You cannot:
- visit friends and family inside their homes
- stay overnight away from your own home (unless in exceptional circumstances)
- gather outdoors in a group of more than six
What sports can I play now?
Some non-contact outdoor sport is now allowed - people in England can now exercise outside with up to five others from different households.
So, for example, having a kickabout with a football in a park is now permitted, as long as people stay 2m apart and practise good hand hygiene. However, games with over six people, or those that involve physical contact, are still not allowed.
You are still not permitted to exercise in an indoor sports court, gym or leisure centre, or go swimming in a public pool. Outdoor gyms and playgrounds are also to be avoided.
Can I host a barbecue?
Socially-distanced picnics and barbecues are now permitted, so long as there are no more than six people present. However, hand washing and hygiene should remain a priority and, if you use the toilet while visiting another home, you should clean any surfaces you have touched.
We will continue to update you on the latest government advice on COVID-19, but do check the gov.uk website in the first instance for the most up-to-date information. The NHS website has detailed information on symptoms and what to do if you or someone in your household shows signs of COVID-19 symptoms.
4th June 2020