National Lockdown for England

As you will be aware, the prime Minister has just announced a national lockdown for England which replaces the Tier system

• Lockdown Rules

The rules for this lockdown are very similar to the first national lockdown. The key ones for tourism are:

Travel

You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce

the number of journeys you make overall. The list of reasons you can leave your home and area include, but are not limited to:

• • work, where you cannot reasonably work from home
  • accessing education and for caring responsibilities
  • visiting those in your support bubble – or your childcare bubble for childcare
  • visiting hospital, GP and other medical appointments or visits where you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
  • buying goods or services that you need, but this should be within your local area wherever possible
  • outdoor exercise. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space)
  • attending the care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services

International Travel

You can only travel internationally – or within the UK – where you first have a legally permitted reason to leave home. In addition, you should consider the public health advice in the country you are visiting.

Staying Away From Home

You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so. This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed. This includes staying in a second home or caravan, if that is not your primary residence. This also includes staying with anyone who you don’t live with unless they’re in your support bubble.

You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:

• • are visiting your support bubble
  • are unable to return to your main residence
  • need accommodation while moving house
  • need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event
  • require accommodation for work purposes or to provide voluntary services
  • are a child requiring accommodation for school or care
  • are homeless, seeking asylum, a vulnerable person seeking refuge, or if escaping harm (including domestic abuse)
  • are an elite athlete or their support staff or parent, if the athlete is under 18 and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition If you are already on holiday, you should return to your home as soon as practical.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

If you are interested in the Prime Minister’s presentation including the slides, here is a link

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/slides-and-datasets-to-accompany-pms-coronavirus-address-4-january-2021

• Tourism-Related Businesses Required to Close
  • hospitality venues such as cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and social clubs; with the exception of providing food and non-alcoholic drinks for takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect and drive-through. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.
  • accommodation such as hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites, except for specific circumstances, such as where these act as someone’s main residence, where the person cannot return home, for providing accommodation or support to the homeless, or where it is essential to stay there for work purposes
  • leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and gyms, swimming pools, sports courts, fitness and dance studios, riding arenas at riding centres, climbing walls, and golf courses.
  • entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, amusement arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, go-karting venues, indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres), circuses, fairgrounds, funfairs, water parks and theme parks
  • animal attractions (such as zoos, safari parks, aquariums, and wildlife reserves)
  • indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks must also close, though outdoor grounds of these premises can stay open for outdoor exercise.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

All this is reasonably similar to the first national lockdown but it is worth noting:

• • Leaving home to exercise is limited to once a day but for no set period and outdoor attractions such as gardens and grounds can remain open
  • Exercise can be taken with one other person which seems to allow one-on-one outdoor training or activities that comply with all other rules such as travel and social distancing
  • Any worker with a valid reason can stay overnight in accommodation rather than just essential workers as previously.

The draft legislation on the lockdown and more guidance is due later this will be forwarded when they arrive.