The Coronavirus lockdown will begin in England at a minute past midnight on Thursday. But what are the rules of this latest lockdown?
New Lockdown Rules for England
- People will be told to stay at home except for education, work (if it can’t be done from home), exercise and recreation, medical reasons, shopping for food and other essentials, or to care for others
- All pubs and restaurants will have to close (takeaways and deliveries can continue)
- All non-essential shops will have to close. Bike shops, hardware stores, banks, pharmacies, post offices, garden centres and pet shops can remain open
- Schools, nurseries, colleges and universities will remain open
- Households will not be allowed to mix with others indoors, or in private gardens
- Individuals can meet one person from outside their household in an outside public space. Children under five are not counted
- Support bubbles for people who live alone and single parent households can continue
- Support groups of 15 or fewer people are allowed, including those for new parents or people recovering from addictions
- Children will be able to move between homes if parents are separated
- Hotels will only open for people who have to travel for work plus a number of other limited reasons
- Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will not be allowed, apart from exceptional circumstances
- Places of worship will generally close but funerals, with a maximum of 30 people attending, individual prayer, and a few other activities will be allowed
- Workplaces will be asked to stay open if people cannot work from home – including construction and manufacturing
- Outdoor exercise and recreation will be allowed, but gyms will have to close
- Clinically vulnerable advised not to go to work if they are unable to work from home
After 2 December, different regions will return to the tiers system, depending upon the rates of infection.
