COVID-19 Resource Centre

NOTE (19th July 2021)

What are the Covid rules easing on 19 July?

As per the lockdown roadmap, “all limits on social contact” should be lifted at step four, t the following main restrictions are being eased:

• The rules making face masks mandatory for most people in places such as shops and on public transport will be lifted – people are instead urged to “exercise their personal responsibility”. Guidance to suggest people “might choose” to wear face coverings when cases are rising, for example.
• Shops and transport providers may still tell customers to wear masks – but this would come with concerns of a threat to staff and of legal action.
• Nightclubs will finally be able to reopen for the first time since the first lockdown was imposed in March last year.
• All other businesses ordered to close will also be able to reopen, meaning gigs and festivals will return.
• Sporting stadiums that were not already open under the pilot scheme can also welcome fans at full capacity.
• “One metre plus” rule on social distancing will be lifted, with guidance remaining in two circumstances: when self-isolating after a positive test and in airports to prevent mixing between people arriving from high-risk countries.
• Restrictions on being seated and table service in hospitality will end, as will the legal requirement to scan QR codes when entering venues.
• “Rule of six” for indoor meetings will cease, as will the limit of 30 people outdoors, allowing for weddings, funerals and festivals to return to near normal.
• “It will no longer be necessary” for working from home guidance to remain – charities have called for ministers to ensure clinically vulnerable people are not pressured to return to offices.
• Limit on how many named visitors a care home resident can receive will be lifted but infection control measures such as enhanced cleaning and PPE will remain in place.

What are the rules on face masks?

Despite the legal requirement for face coverings in indoor public places in England being dropped from Monday, new official guidance says businesses should “encourage and recommend” the wearing of masks on their premises.

The advice is in line with the appeal to “go slow” set out by the Prime Minister and Professor Chris Whitty a week ago.

Guidance from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy states: “Consider recommending the use of face coverings by workers and customers as a safety measure, in enclosed and crowded spaces where they may come into contact with people they don’t normally meet.

“In the long term, we expect that businesses will need to take fewer precautions to manage the risk of Covid-19.”

Will I need a vaccine passport after 19 July?

The guidance for businesses also encouraged hospitality businesses to consider making customers show proof of their vaccination status to enter their premises.

This raised the prospect of “vaccine passports” being required for entry to pubs, bars and restaurants. It followed the Prime Minster announcing that they mandatory in large venues such as nightclubs that fail to introduce them on a voluntary basis.

Updated guidance said the Government “will work with organisations that operate large, crowded settings where people are likely to be in close proximity to others outside their household to encourage the use of the NHS Covid pass.”

It added: “The Government will consider mandating the NHS Covid Pass in certain venues at a later date… if sufficient measures are not taken to limit infection.”

People can prove their vaccination status through the NHS Covid Pass, which you can apply for online via the NHS app.

How are amber list travel rules changing?

Under new measures announced by Grant Shapps, travellers arriving from destinations on the amber list will not have to quarantine if they have had both doses of the Covid vaccine, or if they are under 18.

Previously, anybody arriving in the UK from a nation on the amber list had to quarantine for 10 days (although they could take a “test to release” on day five), as well as taking PCR tests on days two and eight.

In their current form, the new rules only apply to UK residents arriving in England, Scotland and Wales (and people who have received their vaccines from the NHS), although Mr Shapps has said it is hoped this will be extended to the US and EU countries “later this summer”.

People returning from holidays in amber destinations, including the likes of Spain and Portugal, will still be required to take a Covid-19 test three days before returning, and must take a test on or before the second day after their return.

Although the changes widen the options for British holidaymakers, it is important to check the entry requirements for your desired destination (available via the Foreign Office’s travel advice) and ensure that it is welcoming visitors from the UK, and what certification they require.

Travellers must also consider the Government’s guidance on non-essential travel, which operates separately to the traffic-light system, and can have severe ramifications for travel insurance.

When does self-isolation end?

Self-isolation rules will remain in place after 19 July but will change less than a month later, Sajid Javid confirmed.

The Health Secretary said that fully vaccinated adults and anybody under 18 will be exempt from Monday 16 August, unless they test positive for Covid.

Current self-isolation guidelines will remain in place for those who have only received one Covid jab, or who are yet to receive their first dose.

 Mr Javid said the country “will soon be able to take a risk-based approach that recognises the huge benefits that the vaccine provides”.

He added: “This new approach means we can manage the virus in a way that is proportionate to the pandemic while maintaining the freedoms that are so important to us all.”

More than 7 million people in England have received a call or notification from NHS Test and Trace asking them to self-isolate after coming into contact with a positive Covid case since the policy was introduced.