Covid: What's the roadmap for lifting lockdown?
- Published
Some Covid restrictions in England will stay in place for now, the government has confirmed.
It had hoped to "remove all legal limits on social contact" from 21 June. That's been put back until 19 July - although a review will take place in two weeks.
What's been announced?
The delay is because of concerns over the Delta variant of Covid. Cases are growing by about 64% per week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
More time is needed to vaccinate people before remaining rules can be lifted, the PM said.
However, a few restrictions are being lifted:
- The number of guests at a wedding will no longer be limited to 30, although venues and hosts will have to do a risk assessment to ensure social distancing can take place (similar rules apply to wakes)
- Care home residents will not necessarily have to self-isolate after leaving their care homes, and they will be able to nominate an "essential care-giver" who can visit, even if they are self-isolating
- Children can go on overnight trips in groups of 30 with, for example, the Scouts or Guides, or as part of summer residential schools
- Also, large events pilots will continue, including more Euro 2020 games and a number of other sports, arts and music events
The government says that more detail about these changes will be published.
What are England's remaining Covid restrictions?
A number of restrictions which were expected to be lifted, will remain in place for the moment:
- Limits on the number of people who can mix indoors and outdoors
- Pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas still have to operate within capacity limits
- Limited numbers of people allowed to attend sports events
- Nightclubs remain closed
Ministers still have to consider the findings of reviews on face coverings and social distancing before deciding when all limits could be lifted.
What about areas with high numbers of Indian/Delta variant cases?
The government has updated guidance for people in eight areas of England - Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire (area covered by Lancashire County Council), Kirklees, Bedford, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.
It has extended it to six more areas of England - Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region (Halton Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, St Helens Council and Wirral Borough Council) and Warrington.
In these places, "wherever possible, you should try to":
- meet friends and family outside
- keep 2m (6ft) apart from people you don't live or bubble with
- minimise travel in and out of affected areas
What am I allowed to do at the moment?
Exact rules may vary between nations and - in Scotland - between areas:
Who can I meet at the moment?
Rules vary for each UK nation:
Rules are more complicated in Scotland.
Glasgow is now at Covid protection level two, along with 13 other areas - Edinburgh, Midlothian, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire and Stirling.
In these areas:
- Groups of six from a maximum of three households can meet in private and public indoor spaces (and stay overnight)
- Eight people from eight households can meet outdoors
Some districts have moved to Covid protection level one (down from level two) - Highland, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus, Perth and Kinross, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, East Lothian, West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders.
The rules for meeting are:
- Six people from a maximum of three households can meet in a private home (and stay overnight)
- Up to eight people from three households can meet in an indoor public place like a cafe, pub or restaurant (indoors until 23:00, outdoors subject to local licensing rules)
- 12 people from 12 households can meet outdoors
Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and a number of remote islands are now at level zero (down from level one).
The rules for these areas include:
- Up to eight people from four households can meet inside in a private home (and stay overnight)
- Up to 10 people from four households can meet in an indoor public place like a cafe, pub or restaurant
- Up to 15 people from 15 households can meet outdoors
In all levels, children under the age of 12 are not included in the total number of people - but they are counted in the limit on the number of different households.
Travellers to and from Scottish islands are encouraged to take two rapid lateral flow tests before departure.
What about areas with high numbers of Indian/Delta variant cases?
The government has updated guidance for people in eight areas of England - Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire (area covered by Lancashire County Council), Kirklees, Bedford, Leicester, Hounslow and North Tyneside.
It has extended the guidance to cover six more areas of England - Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington.
In these places, "wherever possible, you should try to":
- meet friends and family outside
- keep 2m (6ft) apart from people you don't live or bubble with
- minimise travel in and out of affected areas
What about dates in the rest of the UK?
Timetables vary for the easing of rules.
In Northern Ireland, 21 June has been given as an "indicative date" for a number of changes (subject to 17 June review):
Lockdown measures in Wales will be reviewed on 21 June.
The whole of Scotland is due to move to level zero, the lowest level of restrictions, on 28 June - but the prevalence of the Delta variant, first detected in India, may delay that.