This post includes a rolling update of new legislation and guidance on coronavirus COVID-19 during the week commencing 11July *.

Legislation

England

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps etc.) (England) (Revocation and Amendment) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/848. See L&RUK post, infra.
• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/851. From Aug 16th anyone not 14 days post 2nd vaccine will be still subject to self-isolation. See Adam Wagner’s Twitter thread.
• The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021, Draft SI. Provisions re: care homes and mandatory two dose vaccination, coming into effect 16 weeks after Regulations are made.
• The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Early Expiry) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/856. These Regulations provide for the expiry of twelve sections of the Coronavirus Act 2020 (c. 7). There are seven devolved sections, sections 8, 9 and 25 to 29, for which the Secretary of State has obtained the necessary consent to expire on behalf of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/864. These Regulations correct an error in the commencement provisions of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021. The effect is to ensure that the amendment made by regulation 2(2)(a) of those Regulations (which provides that the exemption from the duty to self-isolate for the purpose of posting Coronavirus tests is extended to include tests for antibodies) comes into force on 19th July 2021.

Wales

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Public Health Information to Travellers) (Wales) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, WSI 2021/863 (W.202). Regulation 3 amends regulation 2 of the International Travel Regulations to introduce a new definition in relation to vaccinated travellers and others. It also makes a minor consequential amendment to move an existing definition within those Regulations.
• The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 14) Regulations 2021, 2021/862, (W.201). These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1609 (W. 335)) (“the principal Regulations”); amend Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations (which sets out the restrictions and requirements that currently have effect in Wales as an Alert Level 1 area).

Scotland

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel etc.) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) (No. 5) Regulations 2021, SSI 2021/264. Regulation 4 inserts a new regulation 2A into the International Travel Regulations to define an “eligible vaccinated arrival”.
• The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 32) Regulations 2021, SSI 2021/263 . Paragraph 3 of schedule 1 of the principal Regulations requires a person responsible for a place of worship, carrying on a business or providing a service in a Level 0 area to take measures to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that the required distance is maintained between any persons on its premises, or waiting to enter its premises, except between persons mentioned in paragraph 3(2) of schedule 1.

Press Notices

• Prime Minister to urge caution ahead of move to step 4. PM Boris Johnson will hold a press conference to confirm whether England can move to step 4 of the Roadmap. Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, (12 July 2021).
• Secretary of State for Health and Social Care provides an update on step 4, The Health and Care Secretary has confirmed the move to the next stage of the roadmap on the 19 July, Oral statement to Parliament, Department of Health and Social Care and The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP. (12 July 2021).
• COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021, Guidance. The government has published the ‘Moving to Step 4 of the roadmap’ document. This sets out the essential actions that everybody should take to protect themselves and others while prevalence is high, as we transition towards learning to live with COVID-19. The ‘COVID-19 Response: Summer 2021’ sets out the shape of step 4 of the roadmap. Cabinet Office, (12 July 2021).
• Prime Minister confirms move to Step 4, Step 4 of the Roadmap to go ahead on Monday 19 July. Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, 12 July 2021. Prime Minister emphasises caution and personal responsibility. Cases continue to rise but link with hospitalisations and deaths weakened.
• PM statement at coronavirus press conference: 12 July 2021. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a statement at the coronavirus press conference. Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street, (12 July 2021).

Guidance

• (COVID-19) Coronavirus restrictions: what you can and cannot do. Coronavirus restrictions remain in place. Find out what you can and cannot do. (12 July 2021). Oxford City Council added to the areas where the Delta variant is spreading fastest.
• Risk management template for event organisers. A resource to help event organisers to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in event settings. (14 July 2021).
• Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance from Step 4, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, (14 July 2021).
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, receptions and celebrations: guidance from Step 4. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Cabinet Office, and Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, (14 July 2021). New guidance for couples planning to get married or form a civil partnership in England, and venues hosting these events. 
• COVID-19: arranging or attending a funeral or commemorative event. This includes: COVID-19: guidance for arranging or attending a funeral or commemorative event during the coronavirus pandemic and 19 July Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for funerals and commemorative events during the coronavirus pandemic, Public Health England and Department of Health and Social Care, (15 July 2021). 

Church of England‡

Updated Friday 16th July, 16.52pm

• Opening and managing church buildings in step 4 of the Roadmap out of Lockdown, V.1, (19 July 2021);
• COVID-19 NHS Test & Trace Data, V.5;
• Risk Assessment Template for Opening Church Buildings to the Public, V.10.; and
• Bishop of London urges caution and pays tribute to vaccinators as restrictions lift, 16/07/2021.

Church in Wales

• Coronavirus (Covid-19) guidance: Update: 15 July 2021

Welsh Government has announced the main changes in Covid regulations. These can be seen at https://gov.wales/coronavirus.

Methodist Church

• Coronavirus Guidance for Property: Update 13 July 2021. Changes to Government Guidance.

“The Property Team will be reviewing more detailed Connexional guidance following the Prime Minister’s update on the 12 July, and posting this from 19 July, when the Government will lift most restrictions.

Although there are no specific updates to the government guidance document concerning places of worship yet, the Health Secretary announced to the House of Commons that from the 19 July there will be ‘…no restrictions on communal worship and singing’. This includes singing at weddings, funerals and baptisms.”

The advice suggests ministers should refrain from using the common cup for Holy Communion, and congregations should be deterred from handshaking and hugging, finding other ways to share ‘the Peace’.

Roman Catholic Church

• Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales: Covid-19 Route Map: Step 4 Guidance, (15 July 2021). See L&RUK post below.
• Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales: Sunday – It is our Day. “It is hoped that it will be possible for all Catholics in England and Wales to fulfil this most important Church precept, that of the Sunday Obligation, by the First Sunday in Advent 2021”, (15 July 2021).

Church of Scotland

• Guidance on reshaping church life and reopening and looking after church buildings. Two-part guidance, Reshaping Church Life and Reopening and Looking after your Church Buildings updated to reflect the change in physical distancing from 2m to 1m. Also, on the Assisting NHS Test and Protect Strategy page the Appendices have been updated. (13 July 2021).

Other guidance

British Medical Journal

• Covid-19: Doctors warn of “disconnect” between NHS pressure and lifting of restrictions (12 July 2021). “There is . . . enormous pressure on hospitals, overcrowding in waiting rooms, and soaring emergency attendances. Mandatory wearing of masks in confined public spaces, improved ventilation, and maintaining social distancing where possible should be non-negotiable to prevent a spike in infections which could push all NHS services to breaking point and will reverse any of the progress that has been started by doctors tackling the waiting lists…The link between infections and hospitalisations has been weakened but not been broken, so right now there needs to be time to allow the NHS to tackle the waiting lists, support those patients who need the most urgent care, and prevent a catastrophic third wave of covid-19.”
• Covid-19: Are cloth masks still effective? And other questions answered. (15 July 2021).

Health and Safety Executive

Law and Religion UK

• Law and religion round-up – 11 July 2021. Progress to Step 4 in England;  Individual cups for Holy Communion (again).
• COVID-19: Guidance on weddings and civil partnerships from Step 4, (14 July 2021). New guidance for couples planning to get married or form a civil partnership in England, and venues hosting these events
• COVID-19: Revocation of regulations in England Summary of SI 2021/848, (15 July 2021,) supra.
• COVID-19: Church in Wales update, (16 July 2021).
• COVID-19: Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales , (16 July 2021).
• COVID-19: Church of England update, (16 July 2021).
• COVID-19: Church of England “Step 4” Guidance, (16 July 2021).

Post last updated,  17 July at  12:51. 

* 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, and listed with the newest items last (unlike the CofE documents, infra); items in the weekly updates yet to be added are marked “§“.  The updates for the earlier weeks are here.

‡ Church of England documents

Church of England documents are listed under their full title and issue number, in the same order as they appear on the Church’s web site.

[top of page]