4th July

New lockdown rules for July.

New lockdown rules for July

New lockdown rules for July

With the lockdown already been eased for many in the UK, and captured in a former article documenting the “New lockdown measures for June.” I thought I would take a look at the new lockdown rules for July. Many coming into effect on 4th July 2020. I am sure there are many people who can’t wait for businesses to be open again, but will you be one of the people who can’t wait to get your hair done and meet friends for drinks?

New lockdown rules for October

Government Roadmap for Lockdown

The 50-page Government plan, ‘ Our Plan to Rebuild’, set out a three-phase roadmap to ease the UK out of the current ‘lockdown’. The Government has confirmed that we are being moved into Step Three, which will come into effect on 4th July.

4.3 Step Three July 4th

Independence Day on 4th July will take on a whole new meaning this year. On 4th July, pubs and hairdressers will now open to the public, with new guidelines documented below.

What is open on 4th July:

  • Bars
  • Pubs
  • Hair salons
  • Cinemas
  • Restaurants
  • Outdoor gyms
  • Libraries
  • Indoor attractions, e.g. Zoos
  • Amusement Arcades
  • Campsites

All businesses and venues can reopen from 4 July, except for the list below, which remain closed in law:

  • Nightclubs
  • Casinos
  • Bowling alleys and Indoor skating rinks
  • Indoor play areas, including soft-play
  • Spas
  • Nail bars, beauty salons and tanning salons
  • Massage, tattoo and piercing parlours
  • Indoor fitness and dance studios, indoor gyms and sports venues/facilities
  • Swimming pools, including water parks
  • Exhibition or conference centres must remain closed for events such as exhibitions or conferences, other than for those who work for the business or organisation that runs the venue.

Cafes, restaurants and shops that are self-contained and can be accessed from the outside will still be permitted to open.

Guide to reopening safely:

Business or venueGuidance for re-opening safely
Food and drink 
People should only visit a restaurant in their household groups (or support bubbles), with one other household, or with up to five other people outdoors.

Further guidance on restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services
People should only visit a restaurant in their household groups (or support bubbles), or with one other household, or with up to five other people outdoors.

Further guidance on restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services
Accommodation 
Hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday apartments or homes, cottages or bungalows, campsites, caravan parks or boarding housesThe government strongly advises that shared sleeping spaces (i.e. dormitory rooms) should not be open to any groups except those travelling within the current government guidance on social mixing outside of household groups.

Other shared facilities (including shared showers and kitchens, but not toilets) should not open, except on campsites (and only in accordance with government guidelines for cleaning and usage)

Further guidance coming soon.

5.3 Smarter Shielding of the most vulnerable


Around 2.5 million people across the UK have been identified as being clinically extremely vulnerable and advised to shield. People like me are at risk of severe illness if they contract COVID-19, so we have been advised to shield until 1 August.

Staying safe outside your home:

This guidance sets out the principles you should follow to ensure that time spent with others outside your home is as safe as possible (unless you are clinically vulnerable or extremely vulnerable). You should follow separate advice on GOV.UK. It is your responsibility to adopt these principles wherever possible. The Government is also using these principles as the basis of discussions with businesses, unions, local government and many other stakeholders to agree on how they should apply in different settings to make them safer. All of us, as customers, visitors, employees or employers, need to make changes to lower the virus’s transmission risk. The Government has consulted with its scientific advisers to establish the principles that will determine these changes.

Keep your distance from people outside your household, recognising this will not always be possible. The risk of infection increases the closer you are to another person with the virus and the amount of time you spend in close contact: you are very unlikely to be infected if you walk past another person in the street. Public Health England recommends trying to keep 2m away from people as a precaution. However, this is not a rule, and the science is complex. The key thing is not to be too close to people for more than a short amount of time, as much as you can.

Keep your hands and face as clean as possible. Wash your hands often using soap and water, and dry them thoroughly. Use sanitiser where available outside your home, especially as you enter a building and after you have had contact with surfaces. Avoid touching your face.

Work from home if you can. Many people can do most or all of their work from home with the proper equipment and adjustments. Your employer should support you in finding reasonable adjustments to do this. However, not all jobs can be done from home. If your workplace is open and you cannot work from home, you can travel to work.

Avoid being face-to-face with people if they are outside your household. You are at higher risk of being directly exposed to respiratory droplets released by someone talking or coughing when you are within 2m of someone and have face-to-face contact with them. You can lower the risk of infection if you stay side-to-side rather than facing people.

Wash your clothes regularly. There is some evidence that the virus can stay on fabrics for a few days, although usually, it is shorter, so if you are working with people outside your household, wash your clothes regularly. Changing clothes in workplaces should only normally be considered where there is a high risk of infection or highly vulnerable people, such as in a care home. Avoid crowding into a changing room if you need to change your clothes.

Keep indoor places well-ventilated. Evidence suggests that the virus is less likely to be passed on in well-ventilated buildings and outdoors. In good weather, try to leave windows and doors open in places where people from different households come into contact – or move activity outdoors if you can. Use external extractor fans to keep spaces well-ventilated and make sure that ventilation systems are set to maximise the fresh air flow rate. Heating and cooling systems can be used at their normal temperature settings.

If you can, wear a face-covering in an enclosed space where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people, you do not normally meet. This is most relevant for short periods indoors in crowded areas, for example, on public transport or in some shops. The evidence suggests that wearing a face-covering does not protect you, but it may protect others if you are infected but have not developed symptoms.

You can make face coverings at home; the key thing is they should cover your mouth and nose. You can find guidance on how to do this on GOV.UK.

You should follow the advice given to you by your employer when at work. 

Employers have a duty to assess and manage risks to your safety in the workplace. The Government has issued guidance to help them do this. This includes how to make adjustments to your workplace to help you maintain social distance. It also includes guidance on hygiene, as evidence suggests that the virus can exist for up to 72 hours on surfaces. Frequent cleaning is therefore particularly important for communal surfaces like door handles or lift buttons and communal areas like bathrooms, kitchens and tea points. You can see the guidance on GOV.UK and can ask your employer if you have questions.

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