May 14, 2021 11.18 am This story is over 34 months old

The May 17 lockdown rules and changes you need to know

Here’s what you need to know

It's party time! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Pubs, bars, restaurants, and other hospitality venues will be able to reopen indoors as the easing of the coronavirus lockdown continues from Monday, May 17.

This is part of the government’s roadmap, which is moving onto step three of four, ahead of all restrictions being lifted on June 21.

Step three includes the following rules, and restriction changes, will come into place on Monday:

  • Indoor socialising – up to six people or two households – will be permitted along with overnight stays
  • Pubs and restaurants will be able to operate indoors and no curfew as indoor hospitality reopens
  • Foreign holidays will also not be restricted any more with the introduction of the traffic light system
  • Indoors, the rule of six or two households, will apply
  • Most legal restrictions on meeting others outdoors will be lifted, but gatherings of over 30 people will remain illegal
  • Cinemas, museums and children’s play areas can also reopen
  • Theatres, concert halls, conference centres and sports stadiums can all reopen
  • Accommodation – hotels, hostels and B&Bs will be able to open for all customers
  • Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions, wakes. This will also apply to other types of events including bar mitzvahs and christenings
  • The number of people able to attend a funeral will be determined by the number that can be safely accommodated in the venue with social distancing in place
  • Organised adult sport and exercise classes can resume indoors. Saunas and steam rooms can also reopen
  • All remaining university students will be eligible to return to in-person teaching, and they are advised to get tested twice a week upon their return
  • 30 people will be able to attend a support group or parent and child group. The limit will not apply to chidden under 5
  • Some larger performances and sporting events will be allowed in indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 people or half-full (whichever number is lower), and in outdoor venues with a capacity of 4,000 people or half-full. In the largest outdoor seated venues, where crowds can be spread out, up to 10,000 people will be able to attend or quarter-full (whichever number is lower)
  • Care home residents will be able to have up to five named visitors, with two able to attend at once providing they have been tested and follow infection control measures. Residents will also have greater freedoms to leave their home without having to isolate on their return

Step four will not begin until at least June 21, when it is hoped that all limits on social contact will be lifted and all remaining premises, including nightclubs, will be able to open.

See the government’s full list of coronavirus restrictions here.