National lockdown: Stay at Home

You should follow this guidance immediately. The law will be updated to reflect these new rules.

The Government has published guidance on the current measures for fit and well people here.

There is additional advice for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus here. If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should not attend work, school, college or university, and limit the time you spend outside the home. You should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.

For households with a possible or confirmed coronavirus infection information is available here.

Summary of national lockdown requirements and links to more information:

Hands Face Space

hands – wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds
face – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
space – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)

Stay Home

Leave home only when necessary (there are 6 categories of necessary travel). The police can take action against you if you leave home without a ‘reasonable excuse’, and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).

You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person
go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home
exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one
seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
attend education(for those eligible) or childcare, including to continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where they live apart.

In addition, it is reasonable to leave home for the following reasons:

To visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance) , hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment.
For animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment.
To attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony. There are attendance limits and other criteria for such events that must be followed and households must not mix.

There are further reasonable excuses. For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.

Sports and physical activity

Indoor gyms and sports facilities remain closed. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close. Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

You can exercise in a public outdoor place:

by yourself
with the people you live with
with your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one)
in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household

Public outdoor places include:

parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
the grounds of a heritage site
playgrounds

Stay local

Financial support

Wherever you live, you may be able to get financial help

Closure of Businesses and venues

Regulations require some businesses to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. Non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues, personal care services are required to close. Full details of essential services, businesses required to close and the limited exceptions to closure can be found here.