French
DeutschCOVID-19 pandemic in England
| COVID-19 pandemic in England | |
|---|---|
 Office for National Statistics weekly COVID-19 deaths for England and Wales up to May 2022. | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | England |
| Index case | York, Yorkshire |
| Arrival date | 31 January 2020 (4 years, 9 months and 3 weeks ago) |
| Confirmed cases | 18,716,214[1] (up to 24 May 2022) |
| Hospitalised cases | |
| Ventilator cases | 785[1] (active, as of 30 July 2021) |
| Recovered | no data[2] |
Deaths | |
| Fatality rate | |
| Vaccinations | |
| Government website | |
| UK Government | |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies |
|---|
 |
| (Part of the global COVID-19 pandemic) |
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The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England were NHS England and Public Health England (PHE).
NHS England oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the NHS in England, while PHE's mission is "to protect and improve the nation's health and to address inequalities". As of 14 September 2021, there have been 6,237,505 total cases and 117,955 deaths in England.[1] In January 2021, it was estimated around 22% of people in England have had COVID-19.[4]
Healthcare in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is administered by the devolved governments, but there is no devolved government for England and so healthcare is the direct responsibility of the UK Government. As a result of each country having different policies and priorities, a variety of differences now exist between these systems.[5][6]
Timeline
[edit]Timeline of measures
[edit]| Measures enacted | Effective from |
|---|---|
| 13–23 March 2020 : Closures of the economy and first lockdown | |
| The Premier League is suspended, initially until 3 April 2020; it returned on 17 June 2020 | 13 March 2020 |
| Closures of restaurants, cafes, non essential shops, schools and nightclubs | 20 March 2020 |
| National lockdown. Everyone must stay at home; with the few exceptions being for exercise, shopping for essential items, providing medical assistance or care for another person, or for any essential work which cannot be completed at home. | 23 March 2020 |
| 11 May 2020 – 4 July 2020: Lockdown easing | |
| People are allowed to meet one other person from another household, outdoors, but to remain 2 m (6 ft) apart. Outdoor sports such as golf or tennis were allowed with members of your household or with one other person from another household, while maintaining social distancing. Households were allowed to drive any distance in England to destinations such as parks and beaches but not to Wales or Scotland. | 11 May 2020 |
| Car and caravan showrooms, outdoor sports amenities and outdoor non-food markets may reopen. The prohibitions on leaving home are replaced by a prohibition on staying overnight away from home, with certain specific exceptions. Gatherings of people from more than one household are limited to six people outdoors and indoors | 1 June 2020 |
| English Premier League football returns after a 100-day absence | 17 June 2020 |
| Hairdressers and restaurants re-open | 4 July 2020[7][8] |
| 30 June 2020 – 14 October 2020: Introduction of local lockdowns and Rule of 6 | |
| Leicester goes into lockdown after a rise in cases, with many other places following until October 2020 | 30 June |
| 14 September 2020 | |
| The COVID-19 tier regulations come into force, defining three levels of restrictions to be applied as necessary in geographic areas. These replace and revoke the existing local lockdown regulations. The Liverpool City Region is the first to be assigned to the strictest tier. | 14 October 2020 |
| England's second lockdown begins, with rules similar to the first, with the exceptions of schools and universities staying open | 5 November 2020 |
| 2 December 2020 – 4 January 2021 : Easing of restrictions and emergence of Alpha variant | |
| England's second lockdown ends at 12.01am, and the second tier system is adopted. Gyms, hairdressers and non-essential shops are allowed to reopen. Fans are allowed to return to English Football League grounds for the first time since March, with spectators attending six venues. Up to 1,000 fans are allowed into Luton and Wycombe, while Carlisle, Charlton, Shrewsbury and Cambridge are allowed to admit 2,000 | 2 December 2020 |
| First person to get vaccinated in England | 8 December 2020 |
| 4 January 2021 – 8 March 2021: Third national lockdown | |
| Prime Minister Johnson makes a televised address in which he announces another lockdown for England, with rules similar to those in March 2020. People are permitted to leave home only for essential reasons, which include work, daily exercise, essential shopping and medical treatment. Schools are closed from the following day, though vulnerable children and those of key workers may still attend, and pre-school remains open, while university students will not return to campus but instead have online tuition. End of year examinations are once again cancelled. Grassroots sport is suspended, but not elite sport. | 4 January 2021 |
| Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils a four-step plan for ending COVID-19 restrictions in England by 21 June | 22 February 2021 |
| Schools open, with compulsory mask wearing for students in secondary school and higher | 8 March 2021 |
| 8 March – 19 July 2021: Lifting of restrictions | |
| Pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, gyms and non-essential shops can reopen | 12 April 2021 |
| Face masks are no longer compulsory for students, and more restrictions are eased | 17 May 2021 |
| England records 0 deaths from COVID-19 over a 24-hour period for the first time since March 2020 | 1 June 2021 |
| Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that England's relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions planned for 21 June will be delayed by four weeks, until 19 July. The cap on wedding parties will be removed though. | 14 June 2021 |
| More than 60,000 people are allowed to attend England's Euro 2020 semi-final match with Denmark at Wembley Stadium, meaning the stadium is at 75% capacity. | 7 July 2021 |
| 19 July 2021 – COVID-19 restrictions eased, but tightened as Omicron variant spreads | |
| The final stage of COVID restrictions are lifted in England, allowing nightclubs to reopen and abolishing social distancing rules, while face covering rules are relaxed. | 19 July 2021 |
| Vaccination opens for teenagers aged 12–15 | 22 September 2021 |
| New rules come into force allowing fully vaccinated travellers returning to England to take lateral flow tests instead of PCR tests. | 24 October 2021 |
| Birmingham's German Christmas Market returns after its cancellation in 2020. The event is smaller than in previous years, and Birmingham City Council warns it could change or close if COVID restrictions return. | 4 November 2021 |
| Face masks return for secondary school pupils in communal areas. | 29 November 2021 |
| Attendees of nightclubs and large events must produce an NHS COVID Pass to enter. | 15 December 2021 |
| Anyone over the age of 65 who has not had the booster within 4 months of their second dose, or anyone who initially received the J&J/Janssen single-dose vaccine before the 15th of October who has not had a second dose before the 15th of December, must receive a booster to reactivate their health pass. | 15 December 2021 |
| The UK government announces that face masks are to be worn in classrooms in England when classes resume following the Christmas holiday | 3 January 2022 |