This is the latest rolling weekly update covering the legislation and guidance on coronavirus COVID-19 during the week commencing 17 January 2021*.

Sunday 17 January to Saturday 23 January 2021

Law and Religion UK‡

• Law and religion round-up – 17 January. Safe use of places of worship; Church of England – updated guidance on COVID-19.

Church of England

Last updated: Tuesday 19 January, 10:11

New FAQ:

• What advice is available for services during Lent, Holy Week, and Easter? This refers to the guidance document, below for information on preparing for Lent, Holy Week and Easter; also resources for #LiveLent 2021.§

New document:

• COVID-19 Advice for Services during Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, V1. (19 January 2021). This advice should be read alongside the guidance for Using Church Buildings for Public Worship and Individual Prayer and Advice on the Conduct of Public Worship found here.§

Other churches and faith organizations

Legislation

England

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/53. These Regulations make minor amendments to, and correct errors in, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020, SI 2020/1374 as amended.§

Scotland

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 13) Regulations 2021, SSI 2021/25. and Policy Note. Regulation 3 amends the table at schedule 6 of the Local Levels Regulations, to apply level 4 restrictions and requirements to the Isle of Barra and the Isle of Vatersay. §

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 14) Regulations 2021, SSI 2021/35. Regulation 3 amends schedule 4 of the Local Levels Regulations to prevent, in a level 3 area, attendance at a dwelling house for the purpose of serving a charge for removing or executing a decree for removing from a residential property where a creditor under a standard security is seeking to eject a debtor who is residing in the property. Regulation 4 amends schedule 5 of the Local Levels Regulations to prevent, in a level 4 area, attendance at a dwelling house for the purpose of serving a charge for removing or executing a decree for removing from a residential property where a creditor under a standard security is seeking to eject a debtor who is residing in the property.§

Wales

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/57, W.1. These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335)) ( to— (a) require all persons who are subject to the obligation in regulation 16 to take measures to minimize the risk of exposure to coronavirus on their premises to undertake a specific assessment of the risk of exposure to coronavirus on those premises and to consult on that; (b) make specific provision about the measures that must be taken to minimize the risk of exposure to coronavirus on retail premises; (c) make provision imposing duties on the proprietors of schools and further education institutions preventing pupils or students from attending to their premises, subject to some limited exceptions; (d) make consequential and other minor changes to ensure consistency with the new provisions. §

Isle of Man

• GC 2021/0013 replaces the old direction on when persons may gather outside their household. As with other GCs under the PHR, it entirely replaces its predecessor. A line by line comparison shows some minor drafting changes (an improvement in the wording of paragraph 8 in relation to emergency services; using a shop or business premises permitted to be open; gathering with own household). There are more significant changes.
• GC 2021/0014 replaces the old direction on when persons may leave their home. The biggest change is a new limitation on the instances when a person is permitted to leave home – all are now subject to “continuing to comply with the Regulations and any applicable direction or notice made under them or in guidance published on www.gov.im and to mitigate any risks associated with leaving the person’s home” (para.3(4)).§

For a fuller description, see Peter Edge’s Changes to the PHR Directions, 20 January. 

Guidance

• COVID-19: guidance for the safe use of places of worship. MHCLG. (updated 19 January 2021).§

Other guidance

Health and Safety Executive

• First Aid Training. The HSE has issued information on First aid training during coronavirus restrictions in place from 15 January 2021 in England, Scotland and Wales.§

Post last updated, 22 January 2021 at 18:49.

*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.

‡Church of England documents

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

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