Meeting people has become a thing of 2020, with new lockdown rules posted on January 4 committed to keeping people indoors. Stay at home orders have kept families apart for nearly two months and will continue to do so until March. But by then, the Prime Minister hopes to relax some of the limitations on social contact.
Can we meet friends for a drink or picnic in the park?
Meeting friends posed a significant risk of spreading COVID-19 earlier this year due to sky-high UK infection rates.
Ministers put limitations on social contact as both deaths and cases piled up, and they have since declined.
With the successful vaccine programmes acting as a backbone, the Government can look at opening up the country again.
READ MORE: Boris warned of huge increase in Covid cases if lockdown ends early
The rule of six will come back into play late in the month.
The policy, which was a mainstay of the tiered lockdown, will allow people to mingle from six households.
Alternatively, two households of any size can also mix from March 29.
The settings also broaden, with meetings allowed to take place in private gardens.
Speaking ahead of his address today, the Prime Minister said ministers would step with caution so as not to “undo the progress” made.
He said: “Our priority has always been getting children back into school which we know is crucial for their education as well as their mental and physical wellbeing, and we will also be prioritising ways for people to reunite with loved ones safely.
“Our decisions will be made on the latest data at every step, and we will be cautious about this approach so that we do not undo the progress we have achieved so far and the sacrifices each and every one of you has made to keep yourself and others safe.
“We have therefore set four key tests which must be met before we can move through each step of the plan.”
