The prime minister has announced details of how the Government intends to lift national restrictions in England on 2 December, and the return to a tiered system of localised restrictions. There have not yet been any changes published to the existing Safer Transport Guidance.
From 2 December:
- the requirement to stay at home will end, and travel will be permitted again subject to specific guidance for each tier
- shops, personal care, gyms and the wider leisure sector will reopen
- collective worship, weddings and outdoor sports can resume
- the rule of 6 will apply outdoors
This will apply in all areas of England, irrespective of the local alert level and there will again be three separate tiers of restrictions depending on the level of infections in each area. The allocation of areas to specific tiers is not yet known, although there has been speculation that many areas may go into a higher tier than the one they were in before the recent lockdown.
TIER 1 (MEDIUM ALERT) & TIER 2 (HIGH ALERT)
In Tier 1 & 2, the messaging will reinforce the importance of working from home wherever possible. Travel restrictions will be removed, but travel into a Tier 3 area is strongly advised against, except where necessary for work, education, medical reasons or caring responsibilities. Overnight stays are allowed and hotels and other accommodation providers are allowed to be open.
In Tier 1, the rule of 6 applies both indoors and outdoors (except a single family group or support bubble that is larger than 6).
In Tier 2, the rule of 6 applies outdoors, and no mixing of households is permitted indoors.
TIER 3 (VERY HIGH ALERT)
In Tier 3 working from home will be strongly advised. While travel restrictions will be removed, the advice is to avoid travelling out of the area except in exceptional circumstances. The guidance will also say that the number of journeys undertaken should be reduced as far as possible.
Overnights stays outside of the local area are not permitted, and hotels and other accommodation providers may only accept guests for work purposes).
There is no mixing of households allowed indoors or outdoors, although the rule of 6 will apply in certain outdoor spaces such as parks, public gardens and outdoor sports areas.
