Matthew's Journal

There is a school of thought that one should ignore the contradictory noises coming from the government, and concentrate simply on the rules. I don't think I'd go that far, but it's certainly useful to see what is allowed (or otherwise), and what has in fact changed.

As of tomorrow, The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 [PDF] come into force. They amend The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 (that link currently shows the the rules before the changes I'm talking about here, but I think will reflect the changes from tomorrow when they come into force).

Eliding some stuff that I think isn't of general interest (about hotels, allowing collection from premises, recycling centres, and increased fines), the key changes are:

• you can now take exercise with one person who is not a member of your household
  
• you can be in a public open space (rec ground, public gardens, access land, open country) with members of your household or one person who isn't, for recreational purposes to promote physical, mental, or emotional well-being
  
• a bunch of stuff around moving/buying/renting houses (visiting show homes, agencies, preparing rental properties, ...)
  
• you can use outdoor sports courts
  
• you can visit garden centres
  

Note that while the guidelines talk about 2m social distancing with non-household people (and it's epidemiologically safest), the law doesn't require it for the outdoor activities listed above.