29 March 2021: What’s changed
Some of the rules on what you can and cannot do changed on 29 March. However, many restrictions remain in place. You must not socialise indoors with anyone you do not live with or have formed a support bubble with. You should continue to work from home if you can and minimise the number of journeys you make where possible. You should get a test and follow the stay-at-home guidance if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
You can read the “COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021 (roadmap)” for more information on the roadmap out of lockdown in England. It is underpinned by law.
From 29 March:
- you can meet outdoors either in a group of 6 (from any number of households) or a group of any size from up to 2 households (a household can include an existing support bubble, if eligible)
- you can take part in formally organised outdoor sports with any number of people (outdoor sports venues and facilities will be able to reopen)
- childcare and supervised activities are allowed outdoors for all children
- formally organised parent and child groups can take place outdoors for up to 15 attendees. Children under 5 will not be counted in this number
Keeping yourself and others safe
You should stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings) if you cannot stay 2 metres apart.
You should follow the guidance on how to stop the spread of coronavirus at all times, including if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
You should follow this guidance in full to limit the transmission of COVID-19. It is underpinned by law.
Face coverings
You must wear a face covering in many indoor settings, such as shops and places of worship, and on public transport unless you are exempt. This is the law. Read guidance on face coverings.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable, you could be at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus.
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable, you should continue to follow the guidance for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable. From 1 April, you will no longer be advised to shield. However, you should continue to take precautions to protect yourself.
If you have been vaccinated against COVID-19
To help protect yourself and your friends, family, and community you should continue to follow all of the guidance on this page even if you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The vaccines have been shown to reduce the likelihood of severe illness in most people. Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective, so those who have received the vaccine should continue to take recommended precautions to avoid infection.
We do not know how much the vaccine stops COVID-19 from spreading. Even if you have been vaccinated, you could still spread COVID-19 to others.
Meeting family and friends indoors
You must not meet indoors with anybody you do not live with or have formed a support bubble with (if you are eligible), or another legal exemption applies.
Meeting friends and family outdoors (rule of 6)
You can meet up outdoors with friends and family you do not live with, either:
- in a group of up to 6 from any number of households (children of all ages count towards the limit of 6)
- in a group of any size from up to two households (each household can include an existing support bubble, if eligible)
If you’re in a support bubble
If you are eligible to form a support bubble, you and your support bubble count as one household towards the limit of 2 households when meeting others outdoors. This means, for example, that you and your support bubble can meet with another household, even if the group is more than 6 people.
Where you can meet
You can meet in a group of 6 or a larger group of any size from up to 2 households (including their support bubbles) outdoors. This includes private outdoor spaces, such as gardens, and other outdoor public places and open venues. These include the following:
- parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests
- public and botanical gardens
- the grounds of a heritage site
- outdoor sculpture parks
- allotments
- public playgrounds
- outdoor sports venues and facilities
If you need to enter through a house to get to a garden or other outside space and there is no alternative access, you should wear a face covering, wash or sanitise your hands when entering, and then go straight to the outside space. If you need to use the bathroom, wash your hands thoroughly and go back outside immediately. You should maintain social distancing from anyone who is not in your household or support bubble.
When you can meet with more people or meet indoors
Gatherings above the limit of 6 people or 2 households, or gatherings indoors, can only take place if they are permitted by an exception. These exceptions are listed on this page.
Where a group includes someone covered by an exception (for example, someone who is working or volunteering), they are not generally counted as part of the gathering limit. This means, for example, a tradesperson can go into a household without breaking the limit if they are there for work, and the officiant at a wedding would not count towards the limit.
Travelling to England from outside the UK
All visitors to London, England are subject to the coronavirus restriction rules.
All those planning to travel to London should follow the guidance on entering the UK. Before travelling to the UK, you must complete a passenger locator form and have proof of a negative COVID-19 test, unless you are exempt.
All arrivals must take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on day 2 and day 8 of quarantining. Arrivals must book a travel test package. See the guidance on how to quarantine when you arrive in England.
You cannot travel to the UK if you’ve visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK has been banned in the last 10 days unless you’re:
- a British national
- an Irish national
- anyone with residence rights in the UK
Everyone allowed to enter England who has visited or passed through a country where travel to the UK is banned in the last 10 days must:
- quarantine for 10 days in a managed quarantine hotel
- take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of quarantining, the tests are included in the hotel package
- follow the guidance on this page
See the guidance on booking and staying in a quarantine hotel when you arrive in England
Check out the London Tour Packages here.
Advice for visitors and foreign nationals in England
Foreign nationals are subject to the national restrictions.
If you are visiting the UK, you may return home. You should check whether there are any restrictions in place at your destination.
