Thread by @AdamWagner1

It really will be a huge change on 19 July if legal social distancing restrictions are lifted.

Will be the first time since 26 March 2020 that there have been no legal social distancing requirements - e.g. group socialising limits

That is 480 days

It does sound like some legal duties will remain:

1. Self-isolation for people who come into contact with a positive case, though it sounds like this will be different to current rules
2. Travel self-isolation and hotel quarantine

Interestingly:

"there will be no Covid certificate required to attend events or venues"

So domestic 'covid passports' are a non-starter (though they have been tried for big events this summer along with negative tests)

Face coverings to be guidance not law

Long-time followers will know govt has never been clear on difference between guidance & law, and why that should matter to people

It has fudged

Now it is left with the mess of convincing people to do things which are "guidance only"

People might reasonably ask why some important things (eg self-isolation) will remain law but other important things (eg face covering on public transport) will only be guidance.

I imagine the answer is as much to do with Tory backbenchers (masks have become totemic) as reason

Next question which will be on many businesses owners' minds is what to do about face coverings, tests, vaccine proof etc as entry requirements.

Just because the government is not making these things compulsory doesn't mean they are decoupled entirely from legal requirements...

Health and safety law might even require that certain businesses recommend face coverings or tests/vaccine certificates.

The truth is this is unknown territory - we have spent 480 days in government mandated land and now we are moving into 'use your discretion' land

E.g. a theatre which knows its audience is high Covid risk - e.g. elderly people - is opening up to maximum numbers.

Covid rates are high and getting higher.

If it leaves measures up to discretion of customers and there is a covid outbreak and someone dies, is it responsible?

E.g. a company knows that certain of its staff are very vulnerable to Covid and haven't been vaccinated. If it leaves measures to "personal responsibility" and there is a Covid outbreak, will it be responsible for the vulnerable employee getting Covid?

This will of course either be the end of social distancing requirements in law or the first major gap between two sets of legal social distancing requirements.

I suppose we will find out in the autumn/winter