COVID-19: LATEST RESTRICTIONS:ENGLAND

They'e arrived. The latest restrictions which came into force at 12.01am today were published around 15 minutes ealier. You'll find them in SI 2020/986 - The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2020.If that's too much of a strain, below is a governnment summary of the changes (as slightly amended by me). Better than listening to me for four hours - or even more than six! Regulation 5 of the Original Regulations is amended to provide for: • The prohibition of a gathering of more than six people unless they are from the same household or two households where they are linked households* - unless a valid exemption applies. For a definition of linked households, you will need to take a look at the regulations. * The exemptions to the gatherings limit are (Regulation 5(3)): o For an elite sportsperson, their coach (or where the elite sportsperson is a child, their parent) and the gathering is necessary for a competition or training; o Where the gathering is reasonably necessary for work purposes; for the provision of voluntary or charitable services; for education or training; to provide childcare or to supervise activities for children; to provide emergency assistance; to enable the avoidance of injury or escape from the risk of harm; to provide care to or assistance to a vulnerable person; to facilitate access to and contact between parents and children where they do not live in the same household; o To fulfil a legal obligation; o Where the gathering is a support group; o For gatherings of up to 30 persons for marriage or civil partnership; o For gatherings for a significant event * Additionally, regulation 1(4ZA) is inserted into the Original Regulations to provide that the gatherings restrictions in private dwellings contained in the Regional Lockdown Regulations remain in place. This affects: the Public Health (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) (No. 2) Regulations 2020; the Public Health (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford) Regulations 2020; the Public Health (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (North of England) Regulations 2020; and the Public Health (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Bolton) Regulations 2020 (together “the Restrictions”). * The police and local authorities will continue to monitor compliance with the Original Regulations, including the amendments set out in this instrument.

COVID-19:EASING OF RESTRICTIONS: LINKED HOUSEHOLDS: NEW LAW

For a digestible (just about) explanation of the new COVID-19 relaxations in England, see

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/588/pdfs/uksiem_20200588_en.pdf

The relevant regulations are in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) (No 4) Regulations 2020 SI 2020/588 which were made today and laid before Parliament at 2.20pm this afternoon. Most of the regulations come into force tomorrow 13 June 2020.

COVID-19: Amended health protection restrictions in England

For an accurate summary (and you don't get many of them) of the changes to 'going out' which apply in England as from today Wednesday 13 May 2020, have a butchers at

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/500/pdfs/uksiem_20200500_en.pdf

See you in the park.  I'll be carrying a copy of Breaking Law under my left armpit.

COVID-19: Going Out: Changes to Law: England

There have been changes to the law in England on restrictions during the pandemic as from 11am yesterday (see The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 (SI 2020/447) if you get a kick out of statutory instruments).

Generally, you need to have a reasonable excuse for going out. Specific instances of what will amount to a reasonable excuse are specified in the legislation. You could rely on some reason that is not specified so long as it is reasonable. And that means that any reasonable person would reckon it to be reasonable, if you get my drift! Now, what happens if you leave home with a reasonable excuse but then remain away from home without a reasonable excuse? You might go out to exercise and, once the exercise is over, remain out while you lie on a park bench eating sandwiches and drinking beer in between snores and sunbathing? Yesterday's changes make it clear that staying out without a reasonable excuse becomes unlawful even though you had that reasonable excuse when you originally left home.

Here are the other changes -

• The specified reasonable excuses are extended to cover leaving or being out to ‘obtain money from or deposit money with’ all types of money service businesses including clubs and international money transfer business.
• Visiting a burial ground, garden of remembrance or grounds surrounding a crematorium to pay respects to a family member or friend becomes a  specified reasonable excuse.
• Outdoor as well as indoor swimming pools must be closed but livestock markets and auctions are exempted from closure.

COVID-19: Restrictions on Movement: THE Law

For the legislation which came into force at 1pm today, see http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/pdfs/uksi_20200350_en.pdf