England has now moved into step 4 of the roadmap, meaning that most legal restrictions to control COVID-19 have been lifted. All adults in England have now been offered at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, however cases are high so everybody needs to remain cautious.
Below is a summary of what has changed on 19th July:
- All remaining closed businesses and venues such as nightclubs are able to reopen.
- All capacity limits at sporting, entertainment and business events have been lifted.
- Hospitality venues no longer need to provide table service or follow other social distancing rules.
- You no longer need to stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with and there are no limits on the number of people you can meet. However, it is advised that you should limit the close contact you have with people you do not live with. You should also continue to meet outdoors where possible and let fresh air into enclosed spaces.
- You no longer need to work from home. However, a gradual return to the workplace is recommended.
- The legal requirement to wear face coverings has been lifted. However people are advised to continue wearing face coverings in crowded areas such as public transport.
- There are no longer limits on the number of people who can attend weddings, civil partnerships, funerals and other life events, or the format these should take.
- There are no longer restrictions on the group sizes for attending communal worship.
The remaining measures remain in place:
- Testing for people with symptoms and asymptomatic testing in education and high risk workplaces or to help people manage personal risk.
- Isolating for positive cases and for those contacted by NHS Test and Trace (including for those who are fully vaccinated). From 16th August, under 18s and those that have been fully vaccinated will not have to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case, unless they also test positive.
- Border quarantine for all those arriving from red list countries and those who are not fully vaccinated arriving from amber list countries. Find out more about international travel here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-abroad-from-england-during-coronavirus-covid-19
- Please note, rules may also be different in other parts of the UK so please check prior to travel.
- Employers still have a legal duty to manage risks to those affected by their business, and should continue to take steps to ensure their premises is safe for staff and customers.
- It is still extremely important to wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day.