What’s changing?
From Monday, people can meet outside in groups of up to six as long as those from different households continue to socially distance.
– Can I visit family and friends?
Yes . This means that family groups of no more than six can meet in parks and private gardens for chats and even barbecues.
– How far am I allowed to travel?
There are no mileage limits set for how far you are allowed to drive to visit family and friends in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but the general advice is to remain in your local area as much as possible.
However, people in Wales will still not be allowed to travel more than five miles from their home for any reason except work or to purchase essentials.
Great, can we hug?
Sadly no. You still cannot risk infection by being too close. The same goes for handshakes or kissing.
If young children from different households are part of the group, they must not share paddling pools, climbing frames, slides or anything that would encourage them to be closer than two metres to each other.
Can I stay overnight?
Staying overnight at someone else’s home will still not be allowed anywhere in the UK, while even going indoors for any other reason than to access a garden or use the bathroom is prohibited.
However Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has advised that if the distance travelled to meet someone means that you have to use their bathroom, then ‘perhaps you shouldn’t be doing it’.
Can we barbecue?
Yes, but you must wash your hands, be careful about passing food or plates and keep 6ft apart.
How about entering their house?
Only if there is no other way of getting to the back of the property.
What about using the toilet?
You can, but you must thoroughly clean any surfaces you touch.
To be extra safe, you could even use a paper towel to open and close bathroom doors and perhaps consider using a kitchen roll to dry hands rather than a towel.
So what if it rains?
You will have to stand under an umbrella or leave. You cannot shelter in someone else’s home.
Can we camp in the garden?
No, Boris Johnson said he did not want you to stay overnight.
Do I only have to see the same group?
No, you can meet different people at different times, but try not to see too many in quick succession.
Can those shielding take part?
No, they must continue to shield if they’re in the clinically extremely vulnerable group and have had a letter from their GP.
What about the over-70s?
If they are not in the shielding group.
We are a family of six – can we meet anyone else?
No. The guidelines say you can meet only up to six people at any one time.
Can we visit a relative in a care home garden?
It would depend on circumstances and the care home’s management.
– What else will I be allowed to do under the new measures?
In England, Monday’s lockdown easing will signal the reopening of schools to allow students in nurseries, early-years settings, and Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to return to class.
Some shops are also set to reopen, with outdoor retail and car showrooms able to resume operations.
– When might restrictions be eased further?
Boris Johnson has flagged that more restrictions will be eased on June 15, beginning with the reopening of other non-essential retail shops such as fashion or homeware retail.
Other businesses, such as pubs, hairdressers and cinemas will have to wait until July before they can reopen, the Government has previously said.
– And what’s the timeline elsewhere in the UK?
In Scotland, there is no set timeline as for when more measures might be lifted. The government’s lockdown roadmap stipulates that a number of conditions must be met before any further action is taken, including evidence that the country’s Covid-19 transmission is successfully under control.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to announce on Friday that further plans on lifting restrictions will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Pending the country’s rate of transmission remaining below one, a host of further restrictions are set to be eased in Northern Ireland on June 8, including the reopening of outdoor sports facilities, car showrooms and some non-essential retail stores.
Outdoor weddings with a maximum of 10 people are also set to be allowed and hotels will be able to start taking forward bookings at their own risk.