Step One: 8 March and 29 March
8 March
• All schools and colleges in England will reopen, while all childcare can resume
• Secondary school pupils will have to wear facemasks initially while staff in all schools are advised to wear masks.
• All secondary and college pupils will be tested twice a week
• One person will be able to meet one other person from another household outside for recreation, not just exercise
• This includes meeting in private gardens and will mean two people can meet for a picnic or sit on a bench with a coffee but they cannot play tennis or golf
• Care home residents will be allowed one named visitor.
29 March
• Up to six people from different households or a larger group from two households can meet outside, including in private gardens
• Outdoor sports facilities can reopen and organised outdoor sports can take place for children and adults
• From this point, the government will drop the "Stay at Home" message and will instead encourage people to stay local wherever they can
• People will still have to work from home where possible and no overseas travel, apart from necessary work, will be allowed.
Step Two: 12 April
• After the school Easter holidays, non-essential retail, including hairdressers and beauty salons, can reopen
• Libraries, museums, zoos, theme parks and gyms can open - but no indoor mixing of different households allowed
• Outdoor hospitality can reopen, including pubs and restaurants - with the rule of six or a larger group from two households
• Customers will not have to buy a substantial meal to have an alcoholic drink and there will be no curfew but people will have to be seated when ordering and eating or drinking
• Self-catering holidays in the UK with your own household will be allowed
• Funerals of up to 30 people, wakes of up to 15 people.
Step Three: 17 May
• Outdoors, most social contact rules will be lifted, but gatherings of more than 30 will be illegal
• Indoors, the rule of six or a larger group of up to two households will be allowed
• Indoor hospitality - pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, children play areas, hotels, B&Bs, indoor exercise classes - will be allowed
• Large indoor performances and sporting events with a capacity of 1,000 people will be allowed
• Outdoor large performances and sporting events will have a maximum capacity of 4,000 people or must only be half full, whichever is lower
• Bigger sports stadiums will be allowed 10,000 people or can only be a quarter full, whichever is lower
• Testing will be used to support these openings
• Weddings, wedding receptions, wakes, funerals and christenings will be allowed 30 people.
Step Four: 21 June
• All legal limits on social contact removed
• Government hopes to reopen nightclubs and lift restrictions on large events such as festivals
• Testing could be used as a condition of entry
• Ministers hope to remove restrictions on weddings
Yet to be decided
There are a few rules and issues that have not yet been agreed and will be subject to review during the easing of lockdown.
- The one-metre plus rule, mandatory facemasks and working from home
The government hopes to conclude a review of this before step four.
- Whether you can use proof of having a COVID-19 vaccine to enter mass events. The government hopes to set out the conclusion of a review prior to step four on whether vaccine or test certificates could be used to reopen the rest of the economy.
- International travel
The government has said this will not resume before 17 May following a review that will be completed by 12 April.
- Major events