Talk:Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers) (England) Regulations 2020

Presentation of Georgraphical Areas
Firstly can I say that I appreciate all the work that has gone into creating this article.

Following my previous discussions on the first tier regulations, I still think that there is a better way in which the information detailing which areas are in which tiers can be presented. I think this could be included in a single table which details which tier each area is currently in and provides details of when that area was in a different tier. Currently I think this is hard to see using the information in the way it is presented.

I'd appreciate getting consensus on here before making any changes. Happy to share a proposal of what I think this could look like if that would help. Tracland (talk) 06:51, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
 * As in previous our previous discussion, I wouldn't want to incorporate historic information into the table at the top as it will get complicated very quickly, and however it's presented will prevent readers from easily checking current status at a glance. I wouldn't be against expanding the historical table at the bottom. At the moment that presents a summary, but it could be exapnded to include more information. How would you handle, though, the splintering that normally seems to happen? Initially East of England: Herfordshire was in T2. SI 1533 deletes that and adds back into T2  East of England: Dacorum, East Hertfordshire and North Hertfordshire, and to T3 East of England: Three Rivers, Watford and St Albans among other places.  Any table should also allow for what has happened in the past, namely fragmentation into individual local authority wards and postcodes (Leicester), even though we probably won't want to include full details at that level. MichaelMaggs (talk) 12:18, 16 December 2020 (UTC)


 * Agreed, happy to include this within the tables at the bottom within the 'Main changes, by date' section. Initially, with the changes that have been made to date, I would propose that a format of the table would be as follows. We can then amend this as areas are fragmented out over time.

Let me know your thoughtsTracland (talk) 18:58, 16 December 2020 (UTC)
 * That looks good to me. MichaelMaggs (talk) 21:37, 16 December 2020 (UTC)

Tier 4
This article seems to have been updated to include many references to tier 4; with references pointing to the legislation. However, at the time of writing the linked legislation doesn't appear to have been amended. So while these changes quite usefully reflect the latest government guidance - it doesn't appear that this article accurately represents the legislation, and the citations do not back-up the claims. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C7:2124:5400:A082:95F1:E35:7592 (talk) 00:55, 20 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree, and now that they have been published I have fixed that. MichaelMaggs (talk) 18:15, 28 December 2020 (UTC)

Current areas within each tier
These have been extensively amended several times in advance of the statutory instruments being published. Making edits which are unsourced and which list areas neither in alphabetical order nor in the order set out within the regulations makes it very difficult and lengthy to check and source things when the regs are actually published. On publication, it's actually much easier to revert and to work from the known correct previous version, which hardly makes it worth the while putting in a lot of effort to try to beat the publication date by a day or so. MichaelMaggs (talk) 15:51, 24 December 2020 (UTC)


 * I agree with this comment. We should avoid any amendments until the regulations are published as otherwise it’s too difficult to make sure they are updated correctly. In the period between the date on which an announcement is made and regulations being published a single sentence in the current areas section (before the table) to highlight the changes that are to come into force should be sufficient Tracland (talk) 18:37, 28 December 2020 (UTC)


 * This doesn't appear to have been followed and a large number of unsourced edits have been made today prior to the regulations being drafted. Including adding in columns and references to a 'Tier 5' which (so far as I can see from what has been announced hasn't actually been announced). I'm tempted to revert the article to the last version from yesterday and then update from there once the regulations have been published.Tracland (talk) 15:54, 30 December 2020 (UTC)

Geographical counties v unitary authorities
its usual on Wikipedia (and in most cases in the real world) to go by geographical counties not administrative counties since many readers won't know that Swindon isn't administrated by Wiltshire Council. Even in this video by the health secretary they use the likes of "Bedfordshire" and "Portsmouth, Gosport and Havant in Hampshire" and although the Gov list lists Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset separately it does list Somerset with "(South Somerset, Somerset West and Taunton, Mendip and Sedgemoor)" in brackets. This has been discussed many times and the consensus is generally to go by ceremonial county, see Wikipedia talk:WikiProject UK geography/Archive 13 for example. Although I'm fine with going by administrative county in the article we should state what UAs are excluded.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 22:25, 27 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree that it may be usual to go by ceremonial counties in many situations, but this is a legal page on a very specific set of legal regulations (not the government guidelines) where the rules are explicitly based on local authority areas, and we should follow that. To do otherwise not only risks confusion (what exactly do we mean by "Somerset"?), but would be legally incorrect. I do agree that some sort of explanation is needed - hence my added wording - though I would be open to other ways of expressing the same thing. All I would say is that a statement such as "Wiltshire (excluding Swindon)" needs to be avoided as it incorrectly implies that "Wiltshire" means something other than Wiltshire Council. Rather than explaining everything, as I have tried to do, another option would be to write out the full local authority names as set out in the regulations themselves. That would be clear and correct, but at the expense of making the main table about three times as long. MichaelMaggs (talk) 18:13, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree, we need to use unitary authorities for the purpose of these regulations rather than ceremonial counties as the regulations are specifically about the actual unitary authorities / council areas. Adding the full title for each area would also be too long winded. For the areas where there is potential confusion, I think this could be clarified with a suitable footnote. I’ve done something for Cambridgeshire and Essex but maybe we need to expand this. I think other areas that are potentially relevant include Kent (Medway), Cornwall (Isles of Scilly), Somerset (various former areas of Avon), Gloucestershire (South), Wiltshire (Swindon). Are there any others that you are aware of. If you let me know then I’ll include a suitable note in the article and ensures it’s cross-referenced wherever those areas appear. Tracland (talk) 18:44, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * That covers all the ones I know of - but I haven't done a detailed check. MichaelMaggs (talk) 18:53, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * The legislation uses "Somerset County Council" not simply "Somerset" for the administrative county. By putting "Somerset (except Bath and North East Somerset) " we are still following local authorities just clarifying what the authority doesn't cover, when we say "Somerset" on Wikipedia (and in the real world) it usually means the whole geographical county not the area covered by Somerset County Council. If we say the area covered by "Somerset County Council" (as opposed to just "Somerset") then that's technically unambiguous but it would still probably be helpful to state the UAs it doesn't cover since I wouldn't be surprised if even many people who live there don't know that Bath isn't covered by Somerset County Council. Although this is a legal page we should be clear to those who don't know what parts aren't covered by a county's legal entity.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 18:55, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * For the time being I have included a footnote (as discussed above) to highlight where there are potentially areas which are ambiguous. This should at least mean that for now there is something to provide clarity on the issue. Happy to consider alternative ways in which this could be presented based on consensus on this thread but thought it best to include something to remove the current ambiguity.Tracland (talk) 19:43, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * As a separate thought having wikilinks that go to the local authority wikipedia page might be helpful so people can click through and are taken to the page for the authority area rather than thinking its the ceremonial county (which is more likely to be the case where these is no wikilink)Tracland (talk) 19:45, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Although wikilinks might be a good idea they probably shouldn't be relied on per WP:EASTER, the notes added are an improvement but I'd still say putting in small text is more helpful than a footnote.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 20:22, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * My major concern is that (based on my initial run though which may be incomplete) this impacts in excess of 20 counties and therefore would involve a lot of additions of small text clarifications within the main article. Do you think this would still be presentable / readable? The fact that it would still be technically incorrect still irks me but we could still clarify this in a footnote. Currently we have a pretty good paragraph in the current tiers area and then have relegated specific matters to a footnote.Tracland (talk) 21:04, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * It seems reasonable to me given how many this affects, if it was only a few (like it was at the beginning, only Somerset and Gloucestershire) I'd probably still insist it was easier to note it in text but as you say there are many cases.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 21:27, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * The statement that "when we say Somerset on Wikipedia it means ..." has no bearing on how we should best represent the precise legal wording of the regulations. I could live with  "Somerset County Council" and similar spelled out in full where needed, or "Somerset*" with a note explaining what that means, but absolutely not the legally-incorrect "Somerset (except for ...)" for the reasons I have set out above. Using the full wording only for those counties where the short form might otherwise be misunderstood could be a compromise.  MichaelMaggs (talk) 21:49, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * How is "Somerset (except for ...)" legally incorrect? BANES is still in Somerset its just its not administrated by its county council and all this is doing is clarifying something anyway. Note that geographical counties are very difficult to historical counties that are generally known to people since it caused a great deal of controversy meanwhile UAs gaining independence hasn't AFAIK.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 22:06, 28 December 2020 (UTC)
 * It's incorrect as it states wrongly that the regs define a precisely-delimited area called "Somerset" then make exceptions within it. That's not the legal structure at all. Anyway, all of that seems moot given consensus against it here as well as Tracland's research showing how often this happens, and how often [County name] in the table is actually unclear - there are far too many instances to explain using inline parentheses.
 * @Tracland, thanks for all the work you've done sorting out complexities of the UA areas. As you say, there are far more than we had thought, which inevitably makes the referenced explanations pretty long. Given that, I wonder if we ought to reconsider using the full local authority names in the table. It will make the table longer, but against that we won't need lengthy explanations, we can wikilink everything for clarity, and it will make future updates easier. If you think it might be worth trying I could do a test to see what it looks like (or you could, of course, if you prefer). MichaelMaggs (talk) 11:44, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Happy to try this and see what it looks like. Whilst it will lengthen the table I don’t think it will make the table overly long. Are you happy to update? Tracland (talk) 15:53, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * , yes, indeed. MichaelMaggs (talk) 16:49, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * The legislation makes no statement about what "Somerset" is in addition to not using plain "Somerset" anyway. Stating "Somerset (except for ...)" isn't implying the legislation says something else its just saying what areas it excludes in the general sense.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 17:49, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree the legislation makes no mention of ‘Somerset’ but refers to ‘Somerset County Council’. Stating ‘Somerset except from’ potentially implies that this is the way the wording of the law works (I.e. that the legislation states that Somerset other than specific specified areas are in Tier X). This is misleading as plain Somerset isn’t mentioned anywhere in the regs. I think the best solution that doesn’t result in ambiguity is to use the full council names in the article and wikilink them so anyone can click through and can then see exactly what the area covered by that council is. The current stop gap solution I’ve put in is a bit clumsy and makes too long a footnote.Tracland (talk) 18:39, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * But this isn't simply a word for word copy of the regulations its an article about them, by putting "except for X" in small I don't think its likely people will think about exactly how the legislation words things. Saying "Somerset (except Bath and North East Somerset)" is another way of saying "Somerset County Council and North Somerset Council". On the review although they don't normally clarify the difference, for Wiltshire its says "The situation is of greatest concern in Swindon and therefore it warrants escalation to Tier 3. However, the rest of Wiltshire has a much lower case rate".  Crouch, Swale  ( talk )  19:22, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * As the legislation states, however long and winding the explanation needs to be. To cut corners, including any use of ambiguity, creates further problems. Roger 8 Roger (talk) 20:03, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I agree with Roger 8 Roger. The shortest way there is the longest way round. There will always be a problem with the 'residual' counties like Somerset and Buckinghamshire that have retained the name: I can only suggest the long-winded "Somerset County Council area", which is unambiguous. There is a similar problem in reverse with e.g, "Portsmouth City Council area" which is quite a bit bigger than the city itself. Apart from the caution at MOS:SMALL, to my eye it is  rather awkward alternative to the "XXXX Council area". --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 23:47, 29 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I've now actioned this on the geographical changes by date table.Tracland (talk) 10:07, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * , Excellent work. Thank you. MichaelMaggs (talk) 14:59, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

Maps and colours
There are currently 4 maps below the changes by date showing the changes following most (but not all of the tier change dates). Ideally if we are going to include these then it would be useful to have these for each of the dates of change. In addition, currently they all use different colour schemes for the different tiers which is confusing. I support these maps being here and think they are a useful inclusion but could we get a common colour scheme across all of the maps? (I would update but, frankly, I don't have a clue how to do this)Tracland (talk) 14:49, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I support the inclusion of the historical maps, as well, but agree that it would be good to have a consistent colour scheme. That would be a job for User:Rcsprinter123, I think. MichaelMaggs (talk) 14:59, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I was going to get onto this anyway. I will upload dated versions of each stage of the tiers today. Rcsprinter123   (palaver)  15:33, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks both. Tracland (talk) 15:38, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅. Rcsprinter123   (confess)  16:07, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Could I suggest an explicit colour for Tier 1 as otherwise the instant impression is that Scotland and Wales are in Tier 1 (even if the caption says it is England). Or put S&W in grey. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 19:27, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Thankyou, that's better, maybe the same thing should be done with the 1st regulations, namely adding a map for each change though there were many smaller changes so maybe that's not necessary. While I don't think people would be confused by the tier 4 colour I'd note that the logo for tier 1 is yellow, orange for tier 2 and red for tier 3 and black for tier 4 so maybe the maps should be changed to reflect this though I don't really have a problem with how they are.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 19:36, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I think we’d first need to put in a changes by date table showing which areas were in which tiers at which times to add context. If there is consensus to do so then I’m happy to add it if someone else is happy to do the maps. Tracland (talk) 22:45, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

I've uploaded versions of the first and second tier system maps with darker greys for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to try and stave off confusion with the cream-coloured Tier 1. If you think it looks alright I can extend to the maps of past tier iterations too. Rcsprinter123  (parlez)  14:31, 2 January 2021 (UTC)

3rd lockdown
Although these haven't been revoked yet it might be worth noting that the gov website for then has then as "withdrawn", if we do return to the tiers will another new article be needed like Third COVID-19 tier regulations in England?  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 20:25, 5 January 2021 (UTC)
 * OK, I see from the sources added just now that this hasn't been revoked its just been modified so that all of England is in tier 4 so maybe we won't need another article. I assumed this regulation was going to be revoked and replaced with new legislation like The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 20:46, 5 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Agreed, the regulations haven't been revoked but Tier 4 has been strengthened and everyone has moved to Tier 4 so my view is that everything should stay within this article.Tracland (talk) 21:37, 5 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes so from tomorrow we can just show a map of the whole country being in tier 4 until areas are (presumably gradually) moved down once the vaccine starts taking effect but for now we probably don't need a new article especially if these don't expire until the end of March.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 21:51, 5 January 2021 (UTC)

I've done the main current changes but haven't touched the changes by date tables at the bottom. I think these are the main things:
 * All areas of England moved into a stricter tier 4.
 * Expiry date is moved on from 2 Feb to 31 March
 * No longer allowed to meet with one other person in an outdoor public place for “recreation” (exercise is still OK)
 * Outdoor sports gatherings no longer allowed for children (disabled people OK)
 * Not allowed to leave home to visit an outdoor zoo, wildlife attraction etc
 * Hospitality venues can no longer sell takeaway alcohol
 * New business closures: outdoor sportsgrounds and facilities, including outdoor gyms, sports courts, swimming pools, water sports, shooting and archery venues, golf courses, driving ranges; & retail travel agents
 * Retailers may no longer sell natural Christmas trees. I really shouldn’t have put it off. MichaelMaggs (talk) 21:56, 5 January 2021 (UTC)


 * I've done the changes to local areas by tier table (moved everything to tier 4) and update the current areas table to show everything in tier 4. Therefore I think the only bit left to update is the summary of SI8/2021.
 * I think technically (if you so wished) you could still buy a Christmas tree from a retailer provided that the retailer was also operating as a garden centre or was selling Christmas trees by way of click and collect.Tracland (talk) 22:10, 5 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Ha! MichaelMaggs (talk) 22:21, 5 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've read through the regs and agree with your summary of the changes above.Tracland (talk) 22:16, 5 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've added those to the Main changes by date table. MichaelMaggs (talk) 17:50, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Rcsprinter123, would you be able to update the main map, to show all of England in tier 4, please? MichaelMaggs (talk) 17:51, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅Yes, done. Rcsprinter123   (face)  19:53, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

Moving to lower tiers
One thing that should probably be mentioned here is how other rules apply if people move up tiers, namely if someone moves from tier 3 to tier 1. Its clear on that the "gathering" rules apply whichever is higher if someone moves. However this is less clear with the other restrictions on if they apply to someone moving to a lower tier. Say someone travels from a tier 3 area to a tier 1 and goes into a pub they presumably wouldn't need to take away (tier 3) or even have a substantial meal (tier 2) since the regulations only seem to restrict the businesses in the area it is located. Similarly tier 4 doesn't appear to prohibit people traveling to an area though people must obviously follow tier 4 rules regarding gatherings (see also this). One could probably walk over the border to go to a restaurant and be within the "reasonable excuse" for leaving home since its getting food. As noted there is advice on traveling to or from a tier 3 area but not legally binding. See this and this and this story for example. I would suggest clarity on this be added to the article though it probably has little relevance now given England is expected to ease restrictions nationally.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 18:25, 24 February 2021 (UTC)

Lockdown easing
Presumably the 1st (8 March) and 2nd (29 March) modifications will be under the All Tiers Regulations since they expire at the end of March. I can't find any legislation for the changes yet but as per the above discussion I'd be careful about adding content until we know what's going on and its the time that its come into force. I'd note that the 1st modification brings us somewhat back to the prior to 6 January (less strict) tier 4 where one can meet 1 other person for the purpose of recreation as opposed to only exercise.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 20:14, 6 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks MichaelMaggs I see that the changes are under the "The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and Restrictions: All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021". I do find it funny that the passenger declaration form is under this and not The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (England) Regulations 2020 but as far as I can see this amendment doesn't alter the International Travel regulations but the All Tiers so a bit confusingly it appears it does belong in this article. Still we don't know what will happen after 31 March but my guess is that the All Tier Regulations will be extended (and modified) so everything will stay in this article though we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 18:42, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes, it's odd that they have chosen to put the travel declaration form in here. But I've given up trying to undersatnd why they are doing what they do. MichaelMaggs (talk) 18:48, 7 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Having given it a bit more though, I think I've worked out why. The International Travel Regulations are for people coming to England while the deceleration form is about leaving England similar to the fact one needs a lawful excuse for leaving home etc its just that you don't need a declaration form to travel across the country to go to you're 2nd home for example but you can be fined if you don't have an excuse. So while at 1st glance it may seem odd to have it in the All Tiers Regulations it actually appears to make sense and in any case moving it to the International Travel article could confuse readers anyway.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 19:57, 7 March 2021 (UTC)

Now repealed?
I assume due to new steps legislation this is now repealed? Steven a91 (talk) 23:12, 28 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes, at midnight last night. MichaelMaggs (talk) 07:36, 29 March 2021 (UTC)
 * not completely though per 22 regulation 13 and 17.  Crouch, Swale  ( talk ) 19:00, 29 March 2021 (UTC)