Here’s what the UK lockdown means for you and your loved ones.
By Tara Pilkington
Since officially going into a state lockdown on Monday 31 March, the UK has become the latest country to introduce unprecedented limits to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
In a televised address to the nation last week, prime minister Boris Johnson announced a series of measures with the goal of shifting public behaviour for the coming weeks to flatten the curve and slower the rate of infection. The idea is that by staggering the number of new cases over a longer period of time, people who do get diagnosed with Covid-19 have better access to care.
What are the new lockdown procedures?
Following Johnson’s announcement, people should only leave their homes for one of four reasons: shopping for food or other basic necessities as infrequently as possible, to exercise once a day either alone or with people from your household, for any medical needs included providing care, and finally to travel to and from work if you are unable to work from home or are considered a key worker. Gatherings of more than two people who are not from the same household are not allowed.
However, there has been some confusion as to what is allowed under these new guidelines which has resulted in the government releasing an additional statutory instrument to set out further details of the lockdown.
For instance, the statutory instrument does not say where exercise has to take place, but officials at the Department for Environment have issued advice stating that people should only engage in outdoor activity in local open spaces that are near to their home, and limit any unnecessary travel to the countryside.
Which shops can remain open?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also published additional guidance on how the lockdown will work in practise and outlines which types of businesses should close and any exemptions can be found in this document. Shops which are allowed to remain open include; supermarkets and other food shops, banks, newsagents, post offices, home and hardware shops, petrol stations, pet shops, pharmacies and car rentals. In these cases, a distance of two meters between customers and shop assistants and that where possible only one person per household should enter.
How businesses must work under lockdown
The government has issued a list of those who they consider a key worker during this time. This list includes people working in the health and social sector as well as those in education, government, public services (including journalists, charities and those in the justice system), transportation services and people providing food and other necessary goods.
Wherever possible, companies have been told that they must work from home. For restaurants and cafes, they may remain open as long as they only operate serving takeaways and deliveries. For those who work in retail stores that are allowed to remain open, they should speak to their employer directly regarding their individual measures.
One area which has caused confusion has been how these measures will affect construction workers. While several construction sites have decided to close, some have chosen to remain open for now. The government has since clarified its guidance for tradespeople and has said that work carrying out repairs and maintenance inside homes may continue as long as they show no symptoms and follow social distancing guidelines.
How will the lockdown be enforced?
The College of Policing have issued advice to their officers regarding how they should approach these new lockdown measures. In this document, it states they police should follow a four-phase approach to handling anyone who is suspected of not following the lockdown.
These steps include firstly engaging with people who may be breaking the law, explaining the health risks of their actions, encouraging them to stay at home and finally enforcing the law which includes taking people home and issuing fines in the form of a fixed penalty notice.
These fines are set at £60 but will be reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days. If someone consistently breaks the rules, the fines will increase to £120, with each further increase doubling per repeat offence. There is a fixed limit of £960 for an individual fine and people under 18 can’t be issued with a fixed penalty notice.
How long will the UK be in lockdown?
After placing the UK in Lockdown on 23 March, Johnson said that these restrictions would be in place for at least three weeks, at which point these measures would be reviewed and the lockdown could be extended.
Currently, it seems likely that the lockdown will be extended beyond the initial three weeks. On 29 March, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jenny Harries, has said it will take two to three months to determine whether the lockdown has been successful in limiting the spread of the coronavirus.