When are overnight stays allowed in UK? Date staying with family is permitted in Covid lockdown roadmap

Latest guidance for overnight stays in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
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Further lockdown restrictions will be eased across the UK this month, thanks to falling Covid cases and athe success of the vaccination rollout.

Current rules mean people can now gather in small groups outdoors, as well as enjoy outdoor dining at pubs, cafes and restaurants, but the coming weeks will see futher sectors of the economy allowed to open up, including the resumption of international travel in England and Scotland.

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But what do the rules say about staying overnight away from home? Here’s what you need to know.

Current lockdown rules do not permit overnight stays with family and friends (Photo: Shutterstock)Current lockdown rules do not permit overnight stays with family and friends (Photo: Shutterstock)
Current lockdown rules do not permit overnight stays with family and friends (Photo: Shutterstock)

When are overnight stays allowed in England?

In England, overnight stays away from home are currently only permitted in self-contained accommodation.

Rules state that accommodation which does not require shared use of bathing, entry/exit, catering or sleeping facilities can reopen from this date.

However, this accommodation should only be used by members of the same household or support bubble.

Overnight stays in self-contained accommodation will be allowed in England from 12 April (Photo: Shutterstock)Overnight stays in self-contained accommodation will be allowed in England from 12 April (Photo: Shutterstock)
Overnight stays in self-contained accommodation will be allowed in England from 12 April (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Staying in another person’s home is not permitted until step three of the lockdown roadmap, which will come into effect on 17 May.

Current government guidance states: “You cannot leave your home or the place where you are living for holidays or overnight stays unless you have a reasonable excuse for doing so.

“This means that holidays in the UK and abroad are not allowed. This includes staying in a second home, caravan or boat, if that is not your primary residence.

“This also includes staying with anyone who you don’t live with unless they’re in your support bubble.”

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Confirmation that England would move to step three on the road map came from the Prime Minister at a Downing Street press conference on Monday (10 May) after a Cabinet meeting to sign off the change.

Boris Johnson said: “This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road map to normality and I am confident that we will be able to go further.”

The road map currently remains on track for the next stage on 21 June and Mr Johnson promised that later this month the government would set out “what role there could be – if any – for certification and social distancing”.

When are overnight stays allowed in Scotland?

In Scotland, all holiday accommodation reopened on 26 April, and travel within all of mainland Scotland is currently allowed.

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This includes hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, caravan parks and camping sites, which opened alongside non-essential shops.

People are permitted to stay overnight with members of their household, or support bubble, in holiday accommodation as of 26 April, but mixing indoors with other households is still banned.

The earliest date for allowing overnight stays with another household is 17 May, when Scotland is considering allowing up to four people from two households to mix indoors.

When are overnight stays allowed in Wales?

Self-contained tourist accommodation is now open in Wales, including hotels with en-suite facilities, caravans and holiday homes where facilities are not shared.

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However, guests staying at self-contained accommodation must be from the same household or support bubble under current rules.

The earliest date when different households are expected to be able to meet indoors, including for overnight stays, is 10 May.

When are overnight stays allowed in Northern Ireland?

In Northern Ireland, people are currently allowed to stay overnight in self-contained tourist accommodation with members of their household or bubble.

You must not stay overnight with anyone not in your household or bubble, unless a legal exemption applies.

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Self-contained accommodation includes self-catering houses, caravans and motor homes with no shared facilities, which can be exclusively used by a single household or bubble.

Households are not currently allowed to mix indoors in private homes. An indicative date of 24 May has been set to allow the mixing of households in private dwellings, but this may be subject to change.

As such, overnight stays with another household will not be allowed until 24 May at the earliest.

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