After putting the whole country in lockdown on November 5, the Prime Minister has announced that national restrictions will be lifted, as planned, on December 2.
What is the Covid Winter Plan?
The newly-announced ‘Winter Covid Plan’ has been announced by Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister.
England will return to a ‘three tier’ system of lockdowns as of December 2. Each tier will be based upon local infection rates, all of which will be announced on Thursday.
These tiers will have tougher restrictions than the ones announced earlier, and here’s how they are likely to look:
- All retail outlets, gyms and hairdressers can reopen across all parts of the country
- Pubs and restaurants can re-open in Tier One.
- Pubs and restaurants serving substantial meals can open in Tier Two
- The 10pm curfew will be extended until 11pm in Tiers One and Two
- Pubs and restaurants will have to close in Tier Three areas
- A limited number of fans allowed back in sports stadiums in Tiers One and Two
There has also been an agreement between the UK’s four constituent nations regarding the Christmas period.
During the five days from December 23 to December 27, the following relaxations of the restrictions will take place:
- Up to three households will be able to meet up and form a ‘Christmas bubble’
- People can mix in homes, places of worship and outdoor spaces, and travel restrictions will also be eased
- Once a “Christmas bubble” is formed, it must be “exclusive” and visits to pubs or restaurants in these bubbles is not permitted
What are the new lockdown rules for Scotland?
Scotland has introduced a five-tier lockdown system, with each region moving into one of the following five levels:
- Level zero – Life is as close to pre-Covid as is practicably possible.
- Level one – Six people from two households can meet indoors and up to six people from two households can meet outdoors or at a pub or restaurant. Hospitality venues have a 10:30pm curfew.
- Level two – Gatherings between households inside people’s homes is not permitted, but up to six people from two households can meet outdoors or at a Covid-secure pub or restaurant. Most hospitality venues can open. Alcohol can be served indoors with a meal until 8pm and outdoors until 10:30pm.
- Level three – Gatherings between households inside people’s homes is not permitted. Pubs and restaurants can open until 6pm but can’t serve alcohol. Leisure and entertainment venues are closed and non-essential travel in or out of a Level three zone isn’t permitted.
- Level four – Restricitons similar to full lockdown.
What are the new lockdown rules for Wales?
Wales is in national lockdown until November 9, with the following restrictions in place:
- Stay at home where possible and no mixing of households.
- School pupils above Year 8 to have online learning only.
- Pubs, restaurants, non-essential shops, leisure services and recycling centres are closed.
- Places of worship are closed for normal services, but funerals and weddings are permitted.
- Single parents or adults who live alone can join a support bubble with one other household anywhere in Wales.
How conference calling can help if you’re hit by restrictions
If your area is hit the toughest restrictions, you may have to work from home (you may never have stopped working from home) – in which case, a conference call offers an easy way to hold meetings and keep in touch.
Our service enables you to connect to up to 100 participants on the one call, and we even have dial-in numbers for over 70 countries worldwide, to make international conference calling a piece of cake.
To get started, check out How to make a conference call – a complete guide to teleconferencing.
And remember, we now offer a free conference call service.
- We don’t put a time limit on your call, meaning you can use our free call number to talk for as long as you like.
- Our ’03’ number is usually included as part of any inclusive calls package, meaning you shouldn’t have to pay your phone service provider for the calls you make.
