The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (revoked)

Restrictions on movement N.I.

5.—(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—

[F1 (a) to obtain goods from any business listed in Part 3 of Schedule 2;]

(b) to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;

(c) to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;

(d) to provide care or assistance, including relevant personal care within the meaning of paragraph 7(3B) of Schedule 2 to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 M1 , to a vulnerable person, or to provide emergency assistance;

(e) to donate blood

(f) to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the place where they are living;

(g) to attend a funeral of—

(i) a member of the person's household,

(ii) a close family member, or

(iii) if no-one within sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) is attending, a friend;

[F2 (ga) to visit a burial ground to pay respects to a member of the person’s household, family member or friend;]

(h) to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

(i) to access critical public services, including—

(i) childcare or educational facilities (where these are still available to a child in relation to whom that person is the parent, or has parental responsibility for, or care of the child);

(ii) social care services;

(iii) services provided by the Department for Communities;

(iv) services provided to victims (such as victims of crime);

[F3 (v) services provided by a district council or other public body, including household waste or recycling centres;]

(j) in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of the child;

(k) in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship;

[F4 (l) to move house and to undertake associated activities for that purpose, including visiting estate agents, viewing properties and making arrangements for removals;]

(m) to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm.

[F5 (n) to attend a place of worship for an act of private worship, or to attend an act of worship which is being broadcast or to attend or participate in a marriage ceremony, in accordance with regulation 4(6)(d);

(o) to take part in an outdoor activity [F6 including an activity undertaken in or by an outdoor sports facility;]

(p) to take part in an outdoor gathering, in accordance with regulation 6A.]

[F7 (q) to attend an outdoor film or live music concert or theatre performance.]

[F8 (r) to attend to the care or welfare of animals, including to access a service referred to in paragraph 44 of Schedule 2;

(s) to attend or participate in an outdoor marriage or civil partnership ceremony, in accordance with regulations 4(6)(g) or 6B.]

[F9 (t) in the case of a person who lives alone, to visit another person’s private dwelling, including staying one or more nights in that person’s dwelling;

(u) in the case of an elite athlete or the parent of an elite athlete who is under the age of 18, for the purpose of training.]

[F10 (v) to visit another person’s private dwelling, either alone or accompanied by others, provided the maximum number of persons in the dwelling does not exceed 6]

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1), the place where a person is living includes the premises where they live together with any garden, yard, passage, stair, garage, outhouse or other appurtenance of such premises.

(4) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any person who is homeless.

[F11 (5) A person who leaves the place where they are living does not do so with reasonable excuse under paragraph (2)(b) unless any associated travel that is not in itself exercise is reasonable, having regard to all the circumstances including the nature of the exercise to be taken.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Reg. 5(2)(a) substituted (11.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/103), regs. 1(2), 2(4)(a) (with reg. 3)

F2 Reg. 5(2)(ga) inserted (24.4.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/71), regs. 1, 2(4)(a)

F3 Reg. 5(2)(i)(v) inserted (15.5.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/82), regs. 1, 2(5)(b) (with reg. 3)

F4 Reg. 5(2)(l) substituted (14.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/103), regs. 1(4), 2(4)(b) (with reg. 3)

F5 Reg. 5(2)(n)-(p) inserted (19.5.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/84), regs. 1, 2(3) (with reg. 3)

F6 Words in reg. 5(2)(o) inserted (7.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 5) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/96), regs. 1(2), 2(3)(a) (with reg. 3)

F7 Reg. 5(2)(q) inserted (21.5.2020 at 11:00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 4) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/86), regs. 1, 2(3) (with reg. 3)

F8 Reg. 5(2)(r)(s) inserted (7.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 5) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/96), regs. 1(2), 2(3)(b) (with reg. 3)

F9 Reg. 5(2)(t)(u) inserted (12.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m. for specified purposes, 14.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m. in so far as not already in force) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 6) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/103), regs. 1(3), 2(4)(c) (with reg. 3)

F10 Reg. 5(2)(v) inserted (22.6.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 7) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/109), regs. 1, 2(2) (with reg. 3)

F11 Reg. 5(5) inserted (24.4.2020 at 11.00 p.m.) by The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 (S.R. 2020/71), regs. 1, 2(4)(b)

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 5 in operation at 28.3.2020, see reg. 1(1)

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 2007/1351 (N.I. 11). Sub-paragraph (3B) was substituted, with sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) and (3A) to (3E) for sub-paragraphs (1) to (3) by s. 78 of and paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 7 to, the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (c. 9)