Beginning on 5 January the Government has placed England in National Lockdown
Stay at home
You must stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.
This page was last updated on 5 January when we added guidance about work and education including university provision.
We do not know when these restrictions will be reviewed.
You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with
You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason.
Wear a face covering in areas where it is compulsory. These include indoor public settings such as shops, public transport and places of worship.
Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household or support bubble.
Where this is not possible, stay 1 metre apart with extra precautions like wearing a face covering.
Wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds.
When you can leave your home
You can leave your home to get a COVID-19 test.
You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary.
You may leave the home to:
- shop for basic necessities – for you, a vulnerable person or someone who is self-isolating
- go to work
- provide voluntary or charitable services
- exercise alone, with your household (or support bubble) or one other person. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area
- meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary
- provide care for disabled or vulnerable people
- seek medical assistance
- avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
- provide emergency assistance
- attend a support group (of up to 15 people)
- be with someone who is giving birth
- visit someone who is dying
- visit someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital
- provide respite care where the care is being provided to a vulnerable person or a person with a disability, or is a short break in respect of a looked-after child
- attend education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend
- attend veterinary services for advice or treatment for animals
- fulfil legal obligations
- carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property
- vote in an election or referendum.
Exercise and meeting other people
You should minimise time spent outside your home.
- It is against the law to meet socially with family or friends unless they are part of your household or support bubble
- You can only leave your home to exercise
- You cannot leave your home for recreation or leisure like a picnic or a social meeting
- This should be limited to once per day
- You should not travel outside your local area.
You can exercise in a public outdoor place:
- by yourself
- with the people you live with
- with your support bubble
- in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
- with 1 person from another household. There cannot be more than two of you together if you do this – your whole household cannot meet the other person.
Public outdoor places include:
- parks, countryside accessible to the public, forests
- public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them)
- the grounds of a heritage site
- Playgrounds.
When you can meet in larger groups
- For work
- To provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is unreasonable to do so from home
- In a childcare bubble (for the purposes of childcare only)
- For registered childcare, or for supervised activities for children where this enables a parent to work, seek work, attend education or training, or for respite care
- For formal education or training
- For arrangements where children do not live in the same household as both their parents or guardians
- To allow contact between birth parents and children in care, and between siblings in care
- For prospective adopting parents to meet a child or children who may be placed with them
- To place or facilitate the placement of a child or children into care by social services
- For birth partners
- To provide emergency assistance, to avoid injury or illness, or to escape a risk of harm (including domestic abuse)
- To fulfil a legal obligation, such as attending court or jury service
- For gatherings within criminal justice accommodation or immigration detention centres
- To provide care or assistance to someone vulnerable, or to provide respite for a carer
- For a wedding or equivalent ceremony in exceptional circumstances. Up to 6 people can attend
- For funerals. Up to 30 people can attend. Up to 6 people can attend wakes and other linked ceremonial events
- To visit someone at home who is dying
- To visit someone receiving treatment in a hospital, hospice or care home
- To accompany a family member or friend to a medical appointment
- For elite sportspeople (and their coaches if necessary, or parents or guardians if they are under 18) to compete and train
- To facilitate a house move.
Support bubbles and childcare bubbles
A support bubble is where a household with one adult joins with another household. Households within a bubble can still visit each other, stay overnight, and visit public places together.
A childcare bubble allows friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare.
Support groups
Support groups that have to be delivered in person can meet. Up to 15 participants are allowed. Under-5s do not count towards the 15 person limit.
- They must be formally organised groups
- They can provide mutual aid, therapy or any other form of support, where they have to take place in person
- They can’t meet in private houses
When deciding whether to run a face-to-face support group you must consider:
- Can you meet your outcomes or deliver your service or activities online? This remains the safest way to operate services and classes.
- If you can’t deliver online – can you run some, or all of your activities, outside?
- Is it necessary that you meet face to face during this time?
If you open, you must also consider:
- Take all the usual precautions like social distancing, hand washing or sanitising and wearing face coverings.
- It is not advisable to share equipment of any kind.
- You must not provide or sell communal refreshments – although people can bring their own.
- Cafe facilities must remain closed or offer take away (off site) only.
Please remember, reducing social contact with people from outside of our households and support bubbles is key to protecting ourselves, our loved ones and the wider community.
Businesses and venues which may remain open
- Essential retail such as:
- food shops
- supermarkets
- pharmacies
- garden centres
- building merchants and suppliers of building products
- off-licences
- market stalls selling essential retail items.
- Businesses that primarily offer repair services
- Petrol stations
- Automatic (but not manual) car washes
- Vehicle repair and MOT services
- Bicycle shops
- Taxi and vehicle hire businesses
- Banks, building societies, post offices, short-term loan providers and money transfer businesses
- Funeral directors
- Laundrettes and dry cleaners
- Medical and dental services
- Vets and pet shops
- Animal rescue centres, boarding facilities, and animal groomers (for animal welfare work only)
- Agricultural supplies shops
- Mobility and disability support shops
- Storage and distribution facilities
- Car parks
- Public toilets
- Motorway service areas
- Outdoor playgrounds
- Outdoor parts of botanical gardens and heritage sites for exercise
- Places of worship
- Crematoriums and burial grounds
Businesses and venues which must close
- Non-essential retail such as:
- clothing and homeware stores
- vehicle showrooms (other than for rental)
- betting shops
- tailors
- tobacco and vape shops
- electronic goods and mobile phone shops
- auction houses (except for auctions of livestock or agricultural equipment)
- market stalls selling non-essential goods.
These venues can operate click-and-collect (where goods are ordered in advance and collected off the premises) and delivery services.
Hospitality venues such as:
- restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and social clubs – although they can provide takeaway (until 11pm), click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services. All food and drink (including alcohol) can continue to be provided by delivery.
- hotels, hostels, guest houses and campsites – except for:
- where it is someone’s main residence
- where it is reasonably necessary to stay there for work
- where people cannot return home
- to provide accommodation or support to the homeless.
Leisure and sports facilities such as:
- leisure centres and gyms
- swimming pools
- sports courts
- fitness and dance studios
- riding arenas at riding centres
- climbing walls
- golf courses.
Entertainment venues such as:
- theatres
- concert halls
- cinemas
- museums and galleries
- casinos
- amusement arcades
- bingo halls
- bowling alleys
- skating rinks
- go-karting venues
- indoor play and soft play centres and areas (including inflatable parks and trampolining centres)
- circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
- zoos and other animal attractions
- water parks and theme parks
- indoor attractions at venues such as botanical gardens, heritage homes and landmarks.
Personal care facilities such as:
- hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons
- tattoo parlours
- spas
- massage parlours
- body and skin piercing services.
These services should also not be provided in other people’s homes.
Community centres and halls
Exemptions
A closed business can open to:
- provide education and training – for schools to use sports, leisure and community facilities if that is part of their normal provision
- provide childcare and supervised activities for children
- host blood donation sessions and food banks
- provide medical treatment
- allow elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities)
- allow professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)
- allow training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)
- allow film and TV filming.
Travel
You must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse.
If you need to travel you should avoid travelling outside of the village, town, or part of the city where you live.
Avoid car sharing with anyone from outside your household or your support bubble.
- Reduce the number of journeys you make.
- Avoid making unneccesary stops during your journey.
- Plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes on public transport, and walk or cycle where possible.
- Do not go to test and trace centres by public transport or taxi. Get a home test instead.
- Do not travel if you are self-isolating.
When you can travel
You must not travel or leave or enter Kirklees, other than for legally permitted reasons.
Legally permitted reasons for travel include:
- travel to work where you cannot work from home
- travel to education and for caring responsibilities
- visiting people in your support bubble, or your childcare bubble for childcare
- attending hospital, GP and other medical appointments, or if you have had an accident or are concerned about your health
- buying goods or services that you need
- for outdoor exercise. You can travel a short distance within your area if necessary (for example, to access an open space)
- for care and exercise of an animal, or veterinary services.
If you are on holiday in Kirklees, you should return home as soon as practical.
Overnight stays
You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so.
- This includes not staying in a second home or caravan, if it is not your primary residence.
- This means holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed.
You are allowed to stay overnight away from your home if you:
- Are visiting your support bubble.
- Are unable to return to your main residence.
- Need accommodation while moving house.
- Need accommodation to attend a funeral or related commemorative event.
- Need accommodation for work or to provide voluntary services.
- Are a child who needs accommodation for school or care.
- Are homeless, seeking asylum or a vulnerable person seeking refuge.
- Are an elite athlete or their support staff, and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition.
- If you are the parent of an athlete under 18, and it is necessary to be outside of the home for training or competition.
Care homes
Visits to care homes can take place with arrangements such as substantial screens, visiting pods, and window visits.
- Close-contact indoor visits are not allowed
- No visits will be permitted if there is an outbreak in the home
- Residents cannot meet people indoors on a visit out (for example, to visit their relatives in the family home).
Please contact the care home you would like to visit to find out what they advise.
Moving home
You can still move home.
- People outside your household or support bubble should not help with moving house unless absolutely necessary.
- Estate and letting agents and removals firms can continue to work.
- If you are looking to move, you can go to property viewings.
Work
Work from home if you can do.
- You can only leave home to work if it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home
- Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary
- If it is necessary for to work in other people’s homes – for example, nannies, cleaners or tradespeople – you can do.
Schools and colleges
Colleges, primary and secondary schools will remain open only for vulnerable children and the children of critical workers.
- All other children will learn remotely until February half term
- Early Years settings remain open
Universities
Students on the courses below should return to face to face learning as planned.
You should be tested twice, upon arrival or self-isolate for ten days.
You can meet in groups of more than your household as part of your formal education or training, where necessary.
You should socially distance from anyone you do not live with wherever possible.
Courses which should return to face to face learning:
- Medicine and dentistry
- Subjects related to medicine and health
- Veterinary science
- Education (initial teacher training)
- Social work
- Courses which require Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) assessments and or mandatory activity which is scheduled for January and cannot be rescheduled (your university will notify you if this applies to you).
All other students should remain where they are wherever possible, and start their term online until at least Mid-February.
If you live at university, you should not move back and forward between your permanent home and student home during term time.
Childcare
Parents and carers can continue to access childcare.
- Early years settings (including nurseries and childminders) remain open
- Vulnerable children and children of critical workers can continue to use registered childcare, childminders and other childcare activities (including wraparound care)
- Parents can form a childcare bubble with one other household for informal childcare of children under 14. This is mainly to enable parents to work, and must not be used to enable social contact between adults
- Some households will also be able to benefit from being in a support bubble
- Nannies can continue to provide services, including in the home
- You can continue existing arrangements for contact between parents and children where you live apart. This includes childcare bubbles.
Places of worship and religious ceremonies
Communal worship is still allowed as long as social distancing is observed. You must not attend with or socialise with anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies.
You can attend or visit a place of worship for:
- communal worship
- a funeral
- an event related to a death
- going to a a burial ground or remembrance garden
- a wedding ceremony.
You must not mingle with anyone outside of your household or support bubble.
Weddings, funerals and religious, belief-based or commemorative events linked to someone’s death are all subject to limits on the numbers that can attend.
Weddings and civil ceremonies may only take place in exceptional circumstances, for example, an urgent marriage where one of those getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover, or is to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery.
Exemptions
- Formal childcare
- Essential voluntary and public services, such as blood donation or food banks
- Other exempted activities such as some support groups.
Weddings, civil partnerships and funerals
- Up to 6 people can attend weddings and civil partnerships.
- Our Register Office ceremony rooms are restricted to 6 guests only.
- More information: Weddings and ceremonies
- Wedding receptions are not allowed.
- Up to 30 people are allowed to attend a funeral.
- If you select a burial service, we can currently allow 30 mourners at the graveside.
- We can allow up to 12 mourners in Dewsbury and 16 mourners in Huddersfield to sit inside the chapel.
- More information: Changes to bereavement services as a result of COVID-19
- Up to 6 people can attend linked commemorative events like a wake or stone-setting.
- People working at these ceremonies or events are not included in the maximum group size.
What to do if you were shielding or are vulnerable
If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should:
- not attend work, school, college or university
- limit the time you spend outside the home
- only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential.
