The Roadmap to Lifting Lockdown

As reported in the news, we now have a 4 week pause and remain in step 3 before we move to Step 4. The government says more time is needed to vaccinate the adult population. In this article we look at the changes to rules and the roadmap to lifting lockdown.

It is now expected that England will move to Step 4 on 19 July, though the data will be reviewed after two weeks in case the risks have reduced.

Overview of the new restriction changes

Some restrictions changed this week, from 21st June 2021, there will be changes to the following rules:

• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies and wedding receptions or civil partnership celebrations will no longer be limited to 30.
• Commemorative events following a death such as a wake, stone setting or ash scattering.
• Large events pilots.
• Care home visits.
• Domestic residential visits for children.

Weddings, civil partnerships and commemorative events

The rules on the number of people who can attend a wedding or civil partnership ceremony, a wedding reception or civil partnership celebration, and a commemorative event following a funeral such as a wake, stone setting or ash scattering, will change and no longer be limited to 30.

The number of people who can attend these events in a COVID-Secure venue or other venue (such as a garden of a private home) will be determined by how many people a venue can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place, including guests of all ages and anyone working at the event.

In a COVID-secure venue, where the premises are operated or used by a business, a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institution or a public body (such as a place of worship or a hospitality venue) your venue manager will need to tell you the maximum number of people who will be able to attend.

For events taking place in other venues with more than 30 guests, (such as a garden of a private home or on private land), organisers will need to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment to determine how many guests will be able to attend, and make the venue as safe as possible. A marquee or other structure in a garden of a private home must have at least 50% of its walled area open at any time for it to be classed as ‘outdoors’ and for the limit based on safe capacity to apply.

These events must not happen indoors at private dwellings, unless they are urgent marriages where one of those getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover. These can take place in private dwellings with up to 30 people. This includes enclosed structures in gardens of private homes.

Large events pilots from 21 June

A limited series of pilot events will take place to produce additional evidence on reopening events safely. Attendees will need to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.

This will include some UEFA EURO 2020 matches at Wembley and a small number of other sports, arts and music performances. The full list of pilots, and further details about the events, will be announced shortly.

Care home visits

Some changes will be made to visits in and out of care homes. For visits into care homes, all care home residents will be able to nominate an essential care giver. These essential care givers will be able to visit the care home resident, even if the resident is isolating.

In most cases, residents who go on a visit out of a care home will no longer need to isolate for 14 days when they return. Residents returning from some higher risk visits out of the care home, such as an overnight stay in hospital, will still be required to isolate. Decisions on risk will be made following a risk assessment by the care home for each visit out.

Overnight trips for out-of-school groups

From 21 June, out-of-school settings can organise domestic residential visits for children in consistent groups of up to 30 children. This replaces the current limit of 6 people or 2 households.

Summary

We’re almost there, notwithstanding any further data that affects the road map.

Despite the Delta variant, the UK Gov are working on quarantine-free travel for double-jabbed Brits, likely using the NHS app to view your proof of vaccination, so this is positive news for those looking to travel in the near future.