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 had been 6,237,505 total cases and 117,955 deaths in England. In January 2021, it was estimated around 22% of people in England have had COVID-19.
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.
Timeline
Timeline of measures 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 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 2020England'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 2020First person to get vaccinated in England 8 December 2020 4 January 2021 – 8 March 2021: Third national lockdownPrime 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
September 2019 – January 2020 : Suspected cases In May 2020, the BBC reported that several members of a choir in Yorkshire had developed COVID-19-like symptoms shortly after the partner of one of the choir members returned from a business trip to Wuhan, China, on 17 or 18 December.
Earlier, in March 2020, it was reported that a 50-year-old man from East Sussex fell ill with COVID-19 symptoms on 20 January after he returned from Ischgl in Austria; the resort was under investigation because it allegedly failed to report possible cases. Three members of his family, two friends from Denmark and one from Minnesota, US had the same symptoms.
In June 2020, the BBC reported it was found COVID-19 in the UK had at least 1,356 origins, mostly from Italy (late February), Spain (early-to-mid-March), and France (mid-to-late-March). In the same month, it was reported that a 53-year-old woman fell ill on 6 January, two days after returning from Obergurgl resort in Austria.
In August 2020, the Kent coroner reportedly certified that the death of Peter Attwood (aged 84) on 30 January had been related to COVID-19 ('COVID-19 infection and bronchopneumonia', according to an email on 3 September, after COVID-19 was detected in his lung tissue), making him the first confirmed England and UK death from the disease. He first showed symptoms on 15 December 2019. Attwood had not travelled abroad.
In November 2020, it was reported that a 66-year-old man had experienced symptoms of COVID-19 shortly after returning from holiday in Italy in September 2019, and his 44-year-old daughter had experienced similar symptoms. Scientists had previously speculated about COVID-19 in Italy as early as September 2019.
January 2020 On 31 January, two members of a family of Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York, one of whom studied at the University of York, became the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK. Upon confirmation, they were transferred from Hull University Teaching Hospital to a specialist isolation facility, a designated High Consequence Infectious Diseases Unit in Newcastle upon Tyne's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
On the same day, an evacuation flight from Wuhan landed at RAF Brize Norton and the passengers, none of whom were showing symptoms, were taken to quarantine, in a staff residential block at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. There had previously been contention over whether the government should assist the repatriation of UK passport holders from the most affected areas in China, or restrict travel from affected regions altogether. Some British nationals in Wuhan had been informed that they could be evacuated but any spouses or children with mainland Chinese passports could not. This was later overturned, but the delay meant that some people missed the flight.
February 2020 On 6 February, a third confirmed case, a man who had recently travelled to Singapore prior to visiting a ski resort in the Haute-Savoie, France, was reported in Brighton. He had been the source of infection to six of his relatives during a stay in France, before returning to the UK on 28 January. Following confirmation of his result, the UK's CMOs expanded the number of countries where a history of previous travel associated with flu-like symptoms – such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing – in the previous 14 days would require self-isolation and calling NHS 111. These countries included China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
On 10 February, the total number of cases in the UK reached eight as four further cases were confirmed in people linked to the affected man from Brighton. Globally, the virus had spread to 28 countries. On the morning of 10 February, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, announced the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020, to give public health professionals "strengthened powers" to keep affected people and those believed to be a possible risk of having the virus, in isolation. That day, the Arrowe Park Hospital, Merseyside, and the Kents Hill Park hotel and conference centre, Milton Keynes became designated isolation units. The following day, two of the eight confirmed cases in the UK were reported by BBC News to be general practitioners. A ninth case was confirmed in London on 11 February.
March 2020
On 1 March, further cases were reported in Greater Manchester, some of them believed to be contacts of the case in Surrey who had no history of travel abroad.
On 2 March, four further people in England tested positive. All had recently travelled from Italy; they were from Hertfordshire, Devon and Kent. The total number of UK cases was reported as having reached 40, though this was revised to 39 after additional testing. The following day, when the number of confirmed cases in the UK stood at 51, the UK government unveiled their Coronavirus Action Plan, which outlined what the UK had done already and what it planned to do next.
On 2 March, the first COVID-19 death occurred in a care home, but at that time care home data were not yet published.
On 3 March, the first three hospital deaths were reported in Nottingham, Essex, and Buckinghamshire.