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Face coverings are now mandatory for you and your pupils during professional driving lessons and practical tests in England, unless you are exempt under new temporary regulations.
This follows the Government’s announcement to make face coverings a legal requirement in a range of indoor public settings in England to respond to the emergence of UK cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Wearing a face covering can reduce the risk to others and yourself against the spread of infection because they cover the nose and mouth, which are the main confirmed sources of transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 infection (COVID-19).
The full list of exemptions is on GOV.UK.
It is a legal requirement for you and your pupils to wear a face covering during a driving lesson unless you or your pupil is exempt. You need to let your pupils know about this change.
You should also ensure good ventilation during lessons and clean your vehicles before each lesson to help prevent the spread of the virus. Regular hand hygiene is also recommended.
Face coverings are not required for private practice with family or friends. Your candidates can check the advice on keeping themselves and others safe in the coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance.
Your pupils must continue to tell us if they are exempt from wearing a face covering when they book their test. This will allow us to arrange for their test to be carried out by an examiner who has volunteered to test candidates who are exempt from wearing a face covering. If you have made the booking on behalf of your pupil you will need to do this if required.
Your pupil’s test will not take place without a face covering if they do not tell us they are exempt ahead of their test.
We will be contacting candidates with a practical test booking in England to confirm this. If you booked a test for your pupils, you need to let them know about these changes.
You should also wear a face covering when travelling with a pupil to a driving test, unless you are exempt. We will not allow the test to take place if we see an instructor or their pupil not wearing a face covering whilst sharing a vehicle before the test.
The DVSA requirement to present a clean car that has been ventilated also remains.
You must continue to tell us if you are exempt from wearing a face covering when you book a practical instructor test.
Your test will not take place without a face covering if you do not tell us you are exempt ahead of your test.
We will be contacting everyone with a practical instructor test booking in England to confirm this.
As with driving tests you must also wear a face covering when travelling to a driving test, unless you are exempt.
In general, the risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 is higher:
- in crowded spaces, where there are more people who might be infectious
- in enclosed indoor spaces where there is limited fresh air
We continue to encourage you to keep your distance, wear face coverings and practice good hand hygiene in our waiting areas in England to help reduce the spread of the virus.
We continue to encourage your pupils to take a rapid lateral flow test in the 48 hours before their driving test.
Rapid lateral flow testing is currently being offered in England to people who do not have symptoms. You may wish to use regular rapid testing to help manage periods of risk, such as close contact in a car or when spending prolonged time with a person at higher risk.
Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have any symptoms. This means they could be spreading the virus without knowing it. Testing twice a week increases the chances of detecting COVID-19 when a person is infectious – helping to make sure you do not spread COVID-19 to others.
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