Key dates out of lockdown for England, Scotland & NI

The First Minister of Wales announced this week that the country would begin easing Covid restrictions a week earlier than originally planned due to the success of its vaccination roll-out.

The latest figures also show that 1,602,939 people have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 537,195 people have had both doses. It means Wales has become the first UK nation to give a first dose of a vaccine to more than half of its population.

The rest of the UK has begun to slowly reopen its economy this week, with outdoor areas of pubs and restaurants, hairdressers and non-essential shops welcoming in customers once again. The Roadmap for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to recover from Covid is detailed below:

ENGLAND

Step 2:- 12th April

• Gyms open, outdoor attractions, libraries, overnight stays, Non-essential shops. Libraries and community centres to open. Indoor children’s activities resume
• Zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas will also be allowed
• Self-contained accommodation including campsites and holiday lets will be permitted to receive guests
• Bars and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers outdoors, but groups will be limited to two households or by the rule of six

Step 3:- 17th May (TBC)

• Groups of up to 30 will be allowed outdoors, and the Rule of Six will be in place indoors, subject to review
• Indoor seating in pubs and restaurants
• Indoor entertainment venues like cinemas and theatres
• Domestic overnight stays
• Organised indoor adult Sport
• Weddings and other “significant life events” with 30 people
• Remaining outdoor entertainment, such as performances
• Some large events will also be allowed to resume. Indoor events will have a capacity of 1,000, or 50 per cent, whichever is smaller
• Outdoor events will be capped at 4,000, and outdoor seated events – such as football matches – at 10,000
• International travel will also be allowed again, subject to review

Step 4:- 21st June (TBC – No Earlier)

• Nightclubs re-open. No legal limit on social contact, larger events, no limit on all life events

SCOTLAND

Level 4:- 12th April

• All children back to school
• Barbers and hairdressers are now able to reopen, click-and-collect retail services
• Garden centres, car dealerships and homeware stores
• University and college students can also return for in-person teaching and outdoor contact sports for 12-17-year olds may resume

16th April

• People will be allowed to meet in groups of up to six adults from six households in outdoor settings and they will be permitted to travel across Scotland to do so, as long as they do not stay overnight.

Level 3:- 26th April  

• All parts of Scotland currently in level four to move down to modified level three – and the islands potentially to level two.
• Restrictions on journeys between Scotland and other parts of the UK – and the wider common travel area – should be lifted.
• All remaining retail premises to re-open
• Tourist accommodation, libraries, museums and galleries to re-open
• Indoor gyms to reopen for individual exercise
• Work can resume in homes
• Driving lessons return
• Attendances at weddings, funerals and receptions to rise to 50 people
• Hospitality sector to begin to re-open with cafes, restaurants and bars able to serve people outdoors. Alcohol permitted outside without a food requirement. There could also be limited indoor hospitality for food and non-alcoholic drinks
• Shielding people should be able to return to work and shielding pupils and students will be able to attend school, nursery, college or university

Level 2:- 17th May TBC

• The government hopes that all level three areas will move to level two
• More normality will return to indoor hospitality with alcohol being served indoors and opening hours possibly changing
• Adult outdoor contact sports and indoor group exercise to resume
• Cinemas, arcades and bingo halls to re-open • Outdoor and indoor events to restart on smaller scale
• More “blended form” of learning can begin at colleges and universities
• Face-to-face support services resume • Non-professional performance arts to return

Restrictions on outdoor social gatherings to ease further, along with meetings inside homes in small groups

June

• Government hopes Scotland can move to level one from early June, allowing for further easing
• All of Scotland could be at level zero by end of June

NORTHERN IRELAND

12th April

• Up to 10 people from no more than two households can now meet outdoors in a private garden
• Click and collect at all non-essential retail outlets is also allowed to take place, and outdoor retail such as car dealerships and garden centres can re-open
• Outdoor sports training can resume for sports clubs with no more than 15 participants in one training group, while indoor club facilities, apart from toilets, are to remain closed

The dates for formal reviews of the restrictions by the Executive are:

15th April

13th May

10th June

Stage 3

• 6 people from 2 households can meet indoors, All children to school, retail fully open, table service in pubs/restaurants, leisure centres open, phased return to offices Small wedding receptions and funeral wakes allowed

Stage 4

• Pubs to re-open with table service. Theatres and cinemas to open, some spectators at sports events

Getting ready to reopen in the next few weeks? Make sure to read, edit and update the Reopening Checklist to keep your customers, staff and business safe and Covid compliant.