LEGAL EAGLE: Now the lockdown is being eased, what am I allowed to do?

Lockdown rules are being eased across the country.

From June 1, the Police can no longer prevent you from being outside or send you back to your home address. You may leave your house for any reason.

This restriction has been replaced by a prohibition on ‘staying overnight at any place other than where you are living’. There are a number of exceptions which can be found on the GOV.UK website. Unless you are staying over for one of these reasons you are breaching the Regulations. However, the Prime Minister announced new Regulations which came into force on Saturday 15 June 2020 – these allow two households to form a ‘social bubble’ or as the Regulations call them ‘Linked Households’. These households can meet and stay overnight at each other’s properties.

Any single adult (an adult here means a person 18 years or older) household, with or without children under 18, will be able to be ‘linked’ to one other household of any size. As long as two conditions are met:

1) That the second household is not linked to any other household;

2) That all adults in the second household agree to be linked with the first household.

This arrangement continues as long as all adults in the second household are in agreement to be linked. If any of the adults in the second household decide they no longer wish to be linked then the agreement will end and the households may no longer meet up.

It is important to note that even where an agreement to be a ‘linked household’ ends neither household may create new links either with each other or any other household. In short you get one shot only.

There are two important takeaways from these new Regulations; first that a single grandparent, with two married or cohabiting children living separately from her and each other both who have children of their own, can only choose to link with one of their children’s households. Not both and not with each other.

Second, that one of the households must be a single adult household. If both households have two or more adults then they cannot be ‘linked households’ and the previous rules still apply.

The rules on gathering outside have also changed, the previous regulations prevented all people not of the same household from meeting in public, there was no restriction on indoor gatherings.

Outside gatherings of up to 6 people from different households are now allowed, there are exceptions to this outlined on the GOV.UK website. If you have any questions about the guidance or you have a penalty notice issued which you wish to challenge please do contact Ben Hoare Bell LLP for advice. You can call Ben Hoare Bell on 0191 565 3112 or email [email protected]. Visit www.benhoarebell.co.uk for further information.

Full copies of the rules can be found at legislation.gov.uk website they cover what non-infected people can now do.