This is a weekly update on the legislation and guidance on coronavirus COVID-19 up to 12 September 2020; it is intended as a quick reference to the latest developments. New items will be added throughout each week as they become available, and at the same time as they are included in COVID-19 Coronavirus: legislation and guidance (II) which has links to other weekly updates.
Sunday 6 September to Saturday 12 September
Law and Religion UK
- Church of England: Places of worship and new restrictions, 9 September, Statement by Bishop Sarah.
- Worship unaffected by new restrictions in England, 9 September. Confirmatory tweet from Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Law and religion round-up – 6 September: Individual cups for Holy Communion; and Aerosol and droplet generation.
Legislation
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford, Leicester, and North of England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 SI 2020/954. Come into force on 8th September 2020. These amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Blackburn with Darwen and Bradford) Regulations 2020, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Leicester) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, and the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (North of England) Regulations 2020 to allow the opening of certain businesses and leisure facilities in the areas covered by those Regulations, other than in the area of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 8) (Caerphilly) Regulations 2020, No. 961 (W. 215), coming into force 6.00 p.m. on 8 September 2020. These amend the principal regulations and impose additional requirements and restrictions in relation to Caerphilly County Borough, which is designated as a “local health protection area”.
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Bolton) Regulations 2020 SI 2020/974. Imposes restrictions in relation to a defined geographical area or “protected area” of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council. Review at least once every 14 days.
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 SR 2020/195. These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 by removing play areas from businesses, services providers and premises subject to closure.
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, SSI 2020/279 . These Regulations require certain premises to close to members of the public. They also require a person who is responsible for a place of worship, carrying on a business or providing a service to take measures, where reasonably practicable, to minimise the risk of exposure to coronavirus.
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2020 WSI 2020/985 (W. 222) These Regulations restrict gatherings indoors of members of an extended household to 6 persons and require face coverings to be worn in the indoor public areas of “open premises” .
Local lockdown restrictions
- Local restrictions: areas with an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), [England]. DHSC, updated 9 September. Areas with local restrictions; Managing local outbreaks; News stories.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): local advice and measures, [Scotland].
- Local lockdown, Guidance and services, [Wales].
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): regulations and localised restrictions. [Northern Ireland]
Guidance
- Guidance: Caerphilly County coronavirus lockdown, Welsh Government. At this stage no changes have been made to the operation of places of worship. Marriages and civil partnership ceremonies and small receptions can take place in the Caerphilly County Borough area, but guests from outside the area are not permitted to attend the reception, (8 September).
- Guidance: Caerphilly County coronavirus lockdown: frequently asked questions, Welsh Government, (8 September).
- Wedding services affected by COVID-19: statement of the CMA’s position on cancellation and refunds, Competition and Markets Authority, (7 September). The CMA’s views on how the law operates in relation to contracts for the provisions of services associated with weddings which have been or will be affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; “ultimately only a court can decide how the law applies in each case”.
- Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do. Guidance on provisions post 14 September 2020, updated 9 September 2020.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Meeting with others safely (social distancing). Guidance on provisions post 14 September 2020, updated 9 September 2020.
- COVID-19: Guidance for small marriages and civil partnerships, updated 11 September.
- COVID-19: Guidance for wedding and civil partnership receptions and celebrations, updated 11 September 2020.
Guidance from other bodies
- Local restrictions in Caerphilly CBC from September 8 2020, coronavirus-related legislation: Briefing for churches in Wales, Cytûn, 8 September.
- COVID-19 and your Parish Plus or Parishguard policy, Ecclesiastical Insurance. COVID-19 Temporary Cover Enhancements to church insurance policies from 1/9/20.
- Post last updated, 12 September 2020, 18:30.
Cite this article as: David Pocklington, "New COVID-19 legislation and guidance: to 12 September" in Law & Religion UK, 7 September 2020, https://lawandreligionuk.com/2020/09/07/new-covid-19-legislation-and-guidance-to-12-september/
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Can a house group observing social distancing meet on church premesis?
The new legislation covering the “rule of six” comes into force in 7½ hours’ time, but until that legislation is made available, it is not possible to predict how it will affect various church activities. After its publication, whenever that is, the Church of England will update its own guidance, so it could be a day or so before this is published. We will be reporting this on this blog.