Lockdown 3.16 – exercise while self-isolating.

[Apologies for failure to post this properly on the 12^th of March!]

Three amendments were made to the PHRs up to the 12^th of March.

PHR (Amendment) (no.8) came into effect on the 4^th of March. It amended Regulation 21, which deals with restrictions on movement by a Category C person; adding a closed set of grounds on which a Category C person may leave their notified place, and conditions which must be complied with even then. The grounds for leaving are receiving emergency medical treatment, when directed to do so by the emergency services, or if given written permission by the Director of Public Health (reg.21(5) as amended). When they do so, under the first two grounds  the person must wear a face mask or suitable covering, and maintain a distance of at least two metres from any person who is not a member of their household. Note that this is phrased as “must” not “must as far as reasonably practicable” – the latter should however be read into this section, as otherwise emergency medical treatment could only be received at two metres distance.   Under the umbrella category, written permission from the Director of Public Health, they must instead comply with any condition specified in the permission (reg.21(6) as amended).

PHR (Amendment) (no.9) came into effect on the 11^th of March. It amends the contact tracing part of the Regulations to allow the Director of Public Health to require information from a third party to provide information on a person who is reasonably suspect of being infected (reg.9(1A) as amended). The example given in the notes on this Regulation give examples of a school in the case of a student, or an employer in the case of an employee <didn’t this already exist?>. It provides for Category B and Category C persons, subject to negative tests (varying across the categories), to be able to exercise once per day for a period of one hour, subject to social distancing and wearing  a face covering (reg.15(4) as amended, reg.20(5A)  as amended, reg. 21(5A) as amended).

PHR (Amendment) (no.10) which came into effect later  on the 11^th of March, slightly amends these provisions, making it clear that this right to exercise applies only if no other members of the household are infected