Government announces roadmap to ease lockdown in England

The Government have published their step by step plans to ease Coronavirus restrictions in England over coming months. The 'roadmap' details target dates to ease specific restrictions starting on 8th March.

The article below gives a brief summary of the planned roadmap but you can read the full plans on the Government website.

Find out more

The four tests

The Government have outlined four tests which must be met for lockdown to continue to ease at each step of the roadmap. Before taking each step, the Government will review the latest data on the impact of the previous step against four tests. 

It takes around four weeks for the data to show the impact of easing restrictions and the Government will provide a further week’s notice to the public and businesses ahead of any further changes. For that reason, there will be at least five weeks between the steps in the roadmap.

The tests 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

Roadmap steps

You can read the full guidance for each step of the planned easing of lockdown on the government website.

Step 1: 8th March

• Schools and colleagues are open for all students

• Recreation or exercise outdoors with household or one other person (no household mixing indoors)

• Wraparound childcare
• Funerals with up to 30 people and wakes and weddings with up to 6 people
• Individuals must continue to 'Stay at Home'

29th March

• Rule of 6 or two households outdoors. No household mixing indoors

• Outdoor sport and leisure facilities

• Organised outdoor sport allowed (children and adults)

• Minimise travel (no holidays)

• Outdoor parent and child groups (up to 15 people)

Step 2: at least 5 weeks after step 1, no earlier than 12th April

• Indoor leisure (including gyms) open for use individually or with household groups

• Rule of 6 or two households outdoors (no household mixing indoors)

• Outdoor attractions such as zoos, theme parks and drive-in cinemas

• Libraries and community centres

• Personal care premises including hairdressers

• All retail

• Outdoor hospitality

• All children's activities, indoor parent and child groups (up to 15 parents)

• Domestic overnight stays (household only)

• Self-contained accomodation (household only)

• Funerals (with up to 30 people), wakes and wedding receptions (up to 15 people)

• Minimise travel. No international holidays

• Event pilots begin

Step 3: at least 5 weeks after step 2, no earlier than 17th May

• Indoor entertainment and attractions

• 30 person limit outdoors, rule of 6 or two households indoors (subject to review)

• Domestic overnight stays

• Organised indoor adult sport

• Most significant life events with up to 30 people

• Remaining outdoor entertainment (including performances)

• Remaining accommodation

• Some large events (except for pilots) but capacity limits apply

• International travel (subject to review)