On Monday 22nd February, the Government announced its four step plan for easing Coronavirus restrictions in England with the first changes taking place from March 8th.

The Government will use four tests to determine whether easing can continue. These are:

  1. The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully.
  2. Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated.
  3. Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.
  4. Our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern.

The current plan for stage 1 easing is:

Monday 8th March

  • You will be allowed to spend time in outdoor public spaces for recreation on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble. You must continue to maintain social distance from those outside your household.
  • Students in all schools and Further Education can return to face-to-face education
  • Wraparound childcare can reopen
  • One regular indoor visit for a single named visitor will be permitted in care homes. Almshouses may wish to adopt a similar approach at this stage if feasible

Monday 29th March

  • Return of Rule of Six for meetings outdoors
  • Outdoor sports facilities to reopen, including tennis, basketball courts and swimming pools
  • Grassroots sports can also resume
  • Funerals can proceed with 30 attendees and weddings can continue with 6 attendees
  • End of legal requirement to Stay at Home

Further easing could be introduced no earlier than April 12th, including reopening of non-essential retail, hospitality and personal care.

Assuming that cases remain at a controllable level and that no new variants emerge, restrictions will continue to ease every 5 weeks. Following this timeline it is expected that nearly all restrictions will be lifted on June 21st.

However, it is important to stress that cases are still high and that there is a responsibility on us all to ensure that the easing can continue as planned. The proposed roadmap could also be altered and delayed depending on the Government’s four tests being met.

The Government also announced that a further 1.4 million people would now be classified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable as a result of new evidence on a number of risk factors. This means that these individuals are advised to shield until March 31st. These individuals will now have priority access to the Coronavirus vaccine as well as other support should they be unable to work. Members may wish to check with their residents who should receive a letter from the Department for Health and Social Care, as well as the local council regarding the change.

You can find all our Coronavirus information here.

Posted 23 February 21