What you can and can't do from March 29 as lockdown rules start easing

As the Easter holidays begin, the Government has allowed limited changes to lockdown rules to allow families to reunite.

On Monday, March 29, for the first time in 12 weeks, people across England will no longer be ordered to "Stay Home", with limited contact between different households being allowed and many outdoor activities able to resume.

Social contact

People will be able to meet outdoors either in groups of six or as two households as of March 29. This includes meeting in private gardens as the Government attempts to make it easier for friends and families to get together over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Those in a support bubble will count as part of the same household, but people from different households will still need to socially distance from each other and meeting indoors remains banned. Businesses, including hospitality, remain closed.

Outdoor parent groups will also be allowed to meet, with a limit of up to 15 parents. Children have not been included in the number restrictions.

As a result of the easing of the "Stay Home" guidance, a number of outdoor activities are taking place over the bank holiday, including the National Trust running Easter egg hunts in its nature trails.

Travel

Although the "Stay Home" rule ends on 29 March the advice from the Government so far has been that people should stay local, although no guidelines have been put in place to indicate what this means.

The guidance says people "should continue to minimise travel wherever possible".

A number of restrictions remain in place to limit movement, including guidance against people staying away from their main residence overnight. However, a loophole means that families who own second homes can legally stay at them as of Monday.

Campsites and self-contained holiday accommodation remain closed until at least April 12, after the Easter holidays.

Holidays abroad are also banned and new Covid regulations which come into effect on the same day that lockdown eases make it illegal to go to an airport without good reason, with fines of £5,000 for anyone who breaks them.

The only exemptions to the travel ban are for work, study, moving house or attending a major family event such as a birth, wedding or funeral.

The rules prohibiting travel abroad are being reviewed by a new task force which is expected to report on April 12 at the earliest, with many experts warning that Covid variants could cancel overseas summer holidays.

Sport

Outdoor sports facilities including golf courses, tennis and basketball courts and swimming pools can all open as part of the easing of restrictions. The wider "rule of six" social contact limits apply to outdoor sports.

If the sport has been formally organised – for example by a qualified instructor, club, national governing body, company or charity – it is not subject to the gatherings limits. But the Government guidance says it "should be compliant with guidance issued by national governing bodies".

Protests

After anger at the Metropolitan Police's handling of the vigil for murdered Sarah Everard, which saw officers manhandling women on a bandstand at Clapham Common, the Government confirmed that the ban on protests would also lift on March 29.

The new regulations confirm that protests will be allowed under an exemption from the ban on gatherings if they are organised by a business, public or political body, or other group and satisfy risk assessments by police including to maintain social distancing.

Places of worship, weddings and funerals

Places of worship have remained open during the latest lockdown, and therefore there are no changes to services on March 29. Restrictions remain in place for Easter services, including that people "must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble".

Rules around funerals, which are allowed with 30 attendees and wakes with six attendees, also remain the same.

However, Monday's easing means that weddings will no longer be limited to exceptional circumstances. This means anyone wishing to tie the knot can do so with up to six attendees.

Each stage of the roadmap out of restrictions sees the numbers able to attend ceremonies increase, before it is hoped that they can proceed without restrictions on June 21.

Returning to work

Under the current guidance, the Government has insisted that everyone who "can work from home must do so", but as the "Stay Home" order is lifted the language has changed to say that "people should continue to work from home where they can".

However, the advice remains that the number of journeys should be minimised and people should avoid travel at peak times. It is expected that the Government will issue further guidance on working home in the near future.