Can I have a BBQ on the front of my house with others from my street?
Under the Rule of Six, you can only meet with a group of more than six if they are from your household and one other household (a maximum of two households). For example, if there were four people in your household and four in another household, the eight of you could meet for a BBQ as you are from two households. If your group is from more than two households, then a maximum of six people can meet, so you could not hold a BBQ for your entire street.
Can I use my friend’s toilet?
You are allowed to use your friend’s toilet if this is necessary. You should though avoid interacting or coming into close contact with anyone from your friend’s house while you are indoors as this is where the risk of infection is greatest. You should also wear a face mask or face covering whilst indoors, wash or sanitise your hands when entering the house, and spend the minimum time indoors. After using the toilet, wash your hands thoroughly, ideally using a separate towel or disposable hand towels, and go back outside immediately once you finish.
Can I meet with five mums and their kids in a park?
Large parent and child groups can only take place outdoors if they are for the benefit of children aged under five and organised by a business, charity or public body. If this was an informal meeting, however, you would need to limit the group to a maximum of six people. So, if you had five mums, only one child could join because children count towards the size of the group
If I can meet up with a BBQ, what are the rules around cups, plates, utensils?
There are no specific rules around cups, plates, and utensils but you should practise good infection control measures at a BBQ. You should use separate cups, plates and utensils for each person present and not share them as sharing will increase the risk of infection. You should also avoid sharing food because this has been shown to increase the risk of infection. Hence, shared food such as bowls of nuts or buffet style food is best-avoided as handling food by many people will increase the risk of infection (not just for Covid-19 but also for gastroenteritis).
Can I now chat with other mums in the school playground?
The same rules apply while you are in the playground as in other outdoor settings so you could only chat to a maximum of five other mums. However, schools would not look favourably on large groups of parents mixing in their playgrounds as they know this would increase infection risks and so may discourage such groups meeting on their grounds.
Now I’m allowed to see my mum who lives in another county, can I stay overnight in a hotel so I can spend more time with her?
This is a grey area as overnight stays away from home are only allowed for specific purposes. If this was a social visit, an overnight stay away from home would generally not be allowed. However, the rules also state that you can stay away from home overnight if you are unable to return to your main residence the same day. So, if your mother lived too far away for you to visit and return the same day, an overnight stay may be permissible
Can two households and the people in both their support bubbles meet, even if there will be 15 people?
You can meet in a group of any size from up to two households, including members of any existing support bubble. So, a group of 15 can meet outdoors if they are from a maximum of two households and their respective support bubbles.
Now I’m allowed to go walking outside my local area, am I allowed to camp overnight?
You can go walking outside your local area but an overnight camp would not be allowed as this would be seen as being for a non-essential purpose.
Can 10 people meet up for a game of five-a-side football?
10 people could only meet for an informal game of five-a-side football outdoors if they are from a maximum of two households. If they are from more than two households, they would exceed the maximum number of six people who can get together. You can take part in formally organised outdoor sports with any number of people but this must be organised by a business, charity or public body, and the organiser must take the required infection control precautions,
Are we on track to open shops, theme parks and gyms on April 12? What might set it back?
We are on track to open a wider range of businesses on April 12 because Covid-19 case numbers, hospital admissions and deaths are all currently falling in England. If there was a rapid increase in the number of cases in the next 1-2 weeks, this might lead the government stop this re-opening of businesses but this looks unlikely to be the case.
Could a hairdresser come and cut my hair in my garden?
As your haircut is taking place outdoors and only two people are involved, this is permissible under the rules. Your haircut though can’t take place indoors or at the hairdresser’s premises for now.
Can I conduct my yoga class in my garden or a park?
If this is a formally organised event held by a qualified yoga instructor or by a yoga club, then you can conduct your class outdoors without limits on numbers. You can’t however meet for an informal yoga session with your friends if this breached the rules on the maximum number of people who can get together.
Will more people than just the designated person be able to visit my mum in the garden of her care home?
Care homes can offer visits to other friends or family members if these take place outdoors, such as in the garden of the care home. You need to be mindful though that care home residents have a very high risk of serious illness and death if they contract Covid-19, so good infection control measures must be followed. Ideally, the visitors should also have been vaccinated as should your mum.
Can I go to the beach?
Yes, you can visit a beach but overnight stays away from home would not be allowed for this purpose, so you would need to be able to go to the beach and return home the same day.