This is the latest weekly update covering the legislation and guidance on coronavirus COVID-19, and includes events to 19 December 2020*.
Sunday 13 December 2020 to Saturday 19 December 2020
Law and Religion UK
- Law and religion round-up – 13 December. COVID-19 vaccines and the church; Churches as vaccination centres; COVID-19 and self-isolation, and; Christmas ringing in England.
Church of England‡
- Last updated Thursday 17 December at 16:36§
Comment from the Bishop of London in response to the Prime Minister’s statement about Christmas arrangements. Also the following updated documents:
- COVID-19: opening cathedral and church buildings to the public v5.1. Update from version 5: A strengthening of Government guidance on performances and tourism in tier 3 areas means the relevant sections have been updated. (17 December 2020).
- COVID-19 Permitted Activities under the 3 Tier System, v2.2. Update on version 2.1: A strengthening of Government guidance on performances and tourism in tier 3 areas means he relevant sections have been updated. (17 December 2020).
- COVID 19 Mission and Ministry with Children, Young People & Families in a Church Setting, v3.0. Update from version 2.0: This document has been revised with the help of the Diocesan Children and Youth Advisers Network and reflects the updated Government guidance since the 27th November 2020. (17 December 2020).
Other churches and faith organizations
Church in Wales§
i] General Considerations under Alert Level 4: Places of worship may open for worship and private prayer but cannot open for general visitors. Detailed arrangements for worship remain largely unchanged (including music and organised singing) but gathering for outdoor activities is not permissible under Alert Level 4.
ii] Legislation, see below.
iii] Supplementary guidance from the Church in Wales:
iv] Specific Considerations for Christmas
Legislation
England
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The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1611. These regulations make changes to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers)(England) Regulations 2020. They create a further Tier of restrictions and place certain areas within that Tier. They also amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Obligations on Undertakings)(England) Regulations 2020 to clarify the obligations on certain undertakings.
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The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1572. These Regulations make changes to the areas which are subject to the restrictions for Tier 2 and Tier 3, as defined in the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020.§
Wales
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The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1610 (W.336). Regulations make amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335))
Scotland
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The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, SS 2020/439. These Regulations (which come into force at 6.00 p.m. on 18 December 2020) amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (“the Local Levels Regulations”), and the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (“the Protection from Eviction Regulations”).§
Northern Ireland
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The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 21) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020, SR 2020/343. These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 by adding provisions in relation to entertainment venues.§
Guidance
England
- Review of local restriction tiers: 17 December 2020. A written statement from the Health and Social Care Secretary to the House of Commons giving an update on local restriction tiers in England. (17 December 2020).§
- Investigation into preparations for potential COVID-19 vaccines, National Audit Office, The NAO reports that government has worked quickly to secure potential COVID-19 vaccines, successfully signing deals for five vaccines providing up to 267 million doses at an expected cost of £2.9 billion. (16 December 2020).§
- Regulatory approval of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Information for healthcare professionals and the public about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. (15 December 2020).§
- COVID-19 vaccination: guide for older adults. PHE, (15 December 2020).§
- Full list of local restriction tiers by area, DHSC. The full list of local restriction tiers by area from Wednesday 2 December 2020. Some areas will change tier on 16 December. All 32 London boroughs plus the City of London are in Tier 2 until 12:01 am on 16 December, at which point they will move to Tier 3. (14 December 2020).§
- Sharp rise in coronavirus numbers and a new variant, DHSC. Oral statement by The Health and Social Care Secretary to the House of Commons about the coronavirus situation, vaccinations and new areas to be put into Tier 3. (14 December 2020).§
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, NHS, (11 December).§
- Regulatory approval of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, (updated 10 December 2020).§
Wales
- Singing over the festive period . How to sing safely over the Christmas period, including carol singing and worship services.(10 December 2020).§
- Places of Worship: (9 November 2020).§
- Community Centres: (23 November 2020). §
- Higher-level restrictions to come into force to control coronavirus. New Alert Level 4 restrictions will apply to all of Wales: all non-essential retail, including close contact services and all leisure and fitness centres will close at the end of trading on Christmas Eve; all hospitality premises will close from 6pm on Christmas Day; tighter restrictions on household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will apply from December 28, after the 5-day Christmas period. (16 October 2020).
- Temporary closure of places of worship. Response to FOI request for a copy of all records relating to the decision to close places of worship during the fire break period that commenced on 23 October 2020. (16 December 2020).§
Other guidance
Post last updated, 20 December 2020 at 09:10.
*Information on COVID-19 on L&RUK
These updates are published at the start of each week; they are not reissued, but new items are added throughout the week as they become available, providing a “rolling update” of the latest developments during the current week. They are also added to COVID-19 Coronavirus: legislation and guidance which is the main source of information; those items in the weekly updates yet to be added are marked “§“. The updates for the earlier weeks are here.
For Church of England documents, the information on the document itself – date and version number – provides the best indication of the date on which it was issued.