Tuesday 6 July 2021
In this update:
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COVID-19 restrictions set to end
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What's likely to change on Monday 19 July
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Director of Public Health encourages people to not put themselves at unnecessary risk
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How can I help keep myself and others safe?
 COVID-19 restrictions set to end
The Prime Minster has announced that COVID-19 restrictions are set to end in England and life will soon return to close to normal, with people's judgement being key in learning to live with the virus.
Step four of the government's roadmap out of lockdown is expected to start on Monday 19 July, subject to a final review of the data on Monday 12 July.
The news comes as a sufficiently high proportion of the population are vaccinated against COVID-19 to significantly weaken the link between infections and severe disease and death. The government say this means that the country can learn to live with coronavirus without the need for the stringent economic and social restrictions which have been in place since March 2020.
But the pandemic is not over. Cases are currently rising, as are hospitalisations and, sadly, deaths, and they will rise further as society reopens. So we are being asked to remain vigilant, make informed decisions and act carefully and proportionately to manage the risks to ourselves and others.
This new phase in the government's response to the pandemic moves away from restrictions on everyone’s day-to-day lives and towards managing COVID-19 by advising people on how to protect themselves and others, alongside targeted interventions to reduce risk.
You can read the COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021 guidance in full on the government's website.
 What's likely to change on Monday 19 July
The biggest change due on Monday 19 July will be the removal of outstanding legal restrictions on social contact. It means there will be no limit on how many people can meet either indoors or outdoors.
Weddings, funerals and other life events will be able to take place without limits on the number of attendees, and there will be no restrictions on singing or dancing.
All venues currently closed will be allowed to reopen, including nightclubs, and the regulations that place COVID-secure requirements on businesses, including table service and distancing between tables, will be lifted. Large events, such as music concerts and live sport can resume without limits on attendance or social distancing requirements.
COVID-status certification, checking-in using the NHS COVID-19 app and the legal requirement to wear a face covering as a condition of entry will be lifted in all settings. However, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus, people are encouraged to continue wearing a face covering in enclosed and crowded spaces and support NHS Test and Trace.
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout will be accelerated, with second doses brought forward to eight weeks after the first dose for all groups. This should mean that all adults will have had the opportunity to get a full course of vaccine by mid-September.
In care homes, restrictions that limit each resident to five named visitors will be lifted, but infection prevention and control measures essential to protecting residents will remain. It is likely that care homes will need to retain some level of restrictions and national guidance has yet to be updated. It is advised therefore that individuals check with the care home prior to visiting to enquire about any restrictions.
You can find out more about the changes on the government's website.
 Director of Public Health encourages people to not put themselves at unnecessary risk
It comes following the Prime Minister's announcement yesterday, in which he indicated the removal of key legislation around face coverings and social distancing.
Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon, said:
"I echo Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer’s clarification and confirmation that he will however continue wearing a mask, particularly at this point where the epidemic is clearly significant and rising."
Professor Whitty cited three situations during the Downing Street press conference in which he would continue wearing a mask, including any situation which is indoors and crowded, or indoors within close proximity to other people. The Prime Minister gave public transport as an example.
"Positive cases are rising across the UK and in Devon, driven by the much more contagious Delta variant,” said Steve Brown.
"Coronavirus is an airborne virus. It spreads most easily when people are in close proximity and when indoors in poorly ventilated spaces.
"The wearing of face coverings and maintaining social distance may not be legal requirements from Monday 19 July, but as the Prime Minister talked of ‘balancing risk’, I encourage people to not put themselves at unnecessary risk.
"Please continue choosing to take steps that minimise risk to ourselves and to others, even when that choice is ours to make."
 How can I help keep myself and others safe?
COVID-19 restrictions are due to be lifted on Monday 19 July, but that does not mean that the risks from COVID-19 have disappeared. Instead it marks a new phase in the government’s response to the pandemic during which people need to manage the risks to themselves and others as the country learns to live with the virus.
The government recommends the following:
- Meeting in well-ventilated areas where possible, such as outdoors or indoors with windows open
- Wearing a face covering where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet in enclosed and crowded spaces
- Washing your hands with soap and water or using hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
- Covering your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze
- Staying at home if unwell, to reduce the risk of passing on other illnesses to friends, family, colleagues, and others in your community
- Considering individual risks, such as clinical vulnerabilities and vaccination status
People are still urged to get vaccinated and to self-isolate and get tested if they have symptoms. It will remain a legal requirement for people to self-isolate if they test positive or are told to do so by NHS Test and Trace. They also want everyone to continue to download and use the latest version of the NHS COVID-19 app to help reduce the spread of the virus.
You may choose to limit the close contact you have with those you do not usually live with in order to reduce the risk of catching or spreading COVID-19, particularly if you are clinically extremely vulnerable. It is important to respect and be considerate of those who may wish to take a more cautious approach as restrictions are lifted.
 Why is social distancing coming to an end?
Social distancing rules (staying two metres apart from people you don't live with) are due to be lifted on Monday 19 July as England starts step four of the government's roadmap out of lockdown, subject to a review of the data on Monday 12 July.
It means that there will be no more restrictions on how many people can meet either indoors or outdoors. Weddings, funerals and other life events will be able to take place without limits on the number of attendees and large events, such as music concerts and live sport can resume without any social distancing requirements.
The rules were introduced because coronavirus spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks, sending small droplets, packed with the virus, into the air. So the further apart people are, the lower the risk of the virus spreading.
The government's review of social distancing says that the success of the vaccination programme means that fewer people are likely to be transmitting the virus. And that although social distancing has been an important part of the strategy to tackle COVID-19, it has also been an economically disruptive measure which has disproportionately affected certain sectors including hospitality, arts, entertainment and the travel industry as well as the delivery of some public services. It has also had a significant impact on many people's mental health, particularly younger
adults, women, disabled adults and clinically extremely vulnerable adults.
Social distancing will only be required in limited circumstances, including at ports in order to manage the risk of variants being transmitted between people. People who are self-isolating should also continue to socially distance from others, particularly where they have had a positive test.
Please remember that coronavirus is still circulating in our communities, so you should continue to consider the risks of close contact with others, particularly if you are clinically extremely vulnerable or not yet fully vaccinated.
People are still encouraged to wear face coverings
People won't have to wear face coverings from Monday 19 July, but they will be encouraged to do so.
The Prime Minister's announcement puts the onus on people to decide for themselves if, and where and when they choose to wear a face covering.
But while the legal requirement for us to wear face coverings looks set to be removed, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, and many health and public health professionals have indicated that the continued use of face coverings by people in certain situations should be encouraged.
Professor Whitty cited three circumstances in which he will choose to continue wearing face coverings. Among them, any situation which is indoors and crowded, or indoors within close proximity to other people.
"And that is because masks help protect other people," he said. "This is a thing we do to protect other people."
If required by an authority to do so, and as a simple matter of common courtesy to others, were Professor Whitty's other circumstances in which he will continue wearing face coverings.
Others have opposed the stopping of face coverings in enclosed spaces. At the weekend, the British Medical Association was reported as calling on the government to continue the need for face masks and new ventilation standards. And unions representing public transport and shop workers have also expressed concern with regards to the safety of their staff.
It comes back to the fact that coronavirus is an airborne virus, spreading through droplets or aerosol in the air. Face coverings help protect others from COVID-19, and if everyone wears one, the risk drops for all.
 What about testing, tracing and self-isolating?
Testing, tracing close contacts and self-isolating has an important ongoing role in managing the spread of coronavirus and reduces the risk of potentially dangerous variants spreading. The government expects the 'Test, Trace and Isolate' system will remain necessary through the autumn and winter.
Symptomatic testing will continue to be available. Tracing contacts and isolating when necessary will remain key to monitoring and containing the spread of the virus, so people are encouraged to continue using the NHS COVID-19 app, though checking in or providing contact details to venues will be voluntary.
Regular asymptomatic testing will continue to help find cases that would otherwise go undetected, break the chains of transmission and help people manage their personal risk, while also protecting others. It will be particularly focused on those who are not fully vaccinated, those in education, and those in higher-risk settings such as the NHS, social care and prisons. People may also wish to use regular rapid testing to help manage periods of risk such as returning to the workplace, after close contact in a higher risk environment or when spending prolonged time with a more vulnerable individual.
From Monday 16 August people who have been fully vaccinated and under 18 year olds will not have to self-isolate if they are a contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Anyone who tests positive will still need to self-isolate regardless of their age or vaccination status.
 Changes to working from home
Currently, everyone who can work from home should still work from home. But the Prime Minister's announcement yesterday signalled an end to that.
It will no longer be necessary for the government to tell people to work from home, from the 19 July, and employers can start planning a safe return to work.
If the nature of your job allows it, you can ask your employer whether you can keep working from home. But it will be their decision.
HR professionals are welcoming the flexibility in how, when and where people work, and some employers have successfully changed their focus to accommodate their staff working from home.
The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development is reported to have said that the day that restrictions end, 'shouldn't signal a mass return to workplaces' and that 'it should be down to individual organisations, consulting with their people, to agree working arrangements.'
A study last year by academics suggested that the majority of people working from home are as productive, if not more.
Ultimately though, it will depend upon the nature of the employment - the job you do, and whether it's compatible with a more flexible 'working from home' approach, and employers' attitudes towards that.
Many organisations may find agreement with their staff in a hybrid of the two, with those whose work and circumstances allow it, splitting their work time between home and the office.
 COVID-19 restrictions in schools to be lifted
The Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has announced plans to lift most remaining COVID-19 restrictions in English schools.
From Monday 16 August, under-18 year olds in England will no longer have to self-isolate if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, only if they test positive themselves. Any pupil who has been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 will be advised to take a PCR test instead of self-isolating.
The current system of 'bubbles', where children only mix within fixed year or class groups, will come to an end and the NHS Test and Trace system will take on responsibility for contact tracing for nurseries, schools and colleges.
From Monday 19 July, schools will not have to stagger start and finish times, (but that may continue until the end of the summer term), face coverings will no longer be needed within schools and social distancing will no longer be necessary.
All schools will be asked to offer pupils two COVID-19 tests at the beginning of the autumn term, as a one-off event.
More on this in our next bulletin.
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