It's so easy to only hear the negative headlines on the news, and that tends to be all people focus on. However, behind the headlines there are so many positive news stories that help us work out how soon "normal" weddings will be a real possibility. Here you can read how have we progressed over the past couple of weeks.
Wedding guest restrictions lifted in England
14th June 2021
PM Boris Johnson has announced that the planned unlocking, which had been due to happen on 21st June, will be delayed until July 19th at the earliest. However, wedding restrictions will ease from June 21st, with maximum numbers no longer limited to 30, but instead determined by socially distanced capacity.
England's lockdown to ease as planned on 12 April
5th April 2021
Boris Johnson announced England's lockdown will ease as planned on 12 April. This means wedding numbers can increase from 6 to 15. Also, non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers can reopen, which will significantly help with wedding planning!
More than 21 million people in the UK have been vaccinated
Image courtesy of BBC News
6th March 2021
More than 21 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine - part of the biggest inoculation programme the country has ever launched. The UK vaccine programme has entered the second part of its first phase after everyone in the first four priority groups - those aged 70 and over, care home residents, healthcare workers, and people required to shield - were offered a jab by mid-February. The rollout is now being expanded to include those aged 60 and above and those with underlying health conditions. The rest of the over-50s will follow, with the government aiming to offer everyone in priority groups five to nine a jab by 15 April.
Northern Ireland announces a pathway out of coronavirus restrictions
3rd March 2021
Northern Ireland has announced a pathway out of coronavirus restrictions, with four steps out of lockdown. These changes in restrictions will only occur after a four-week review has deemed it is safe for these changes to occur. The current dates for these reviews are 16 March for step one, 15 April for step two, 13 May for step three, and 10 June for step four.
Government announces a roadmap for moving out of the national lockdown in England
22nd February 2021
The Prime Minister has addressed the House of Commons to outline the government’s ‘cautious but irreversible’ roadmap for moving out of the national lockdown in England. The roadmap for England consists of four different steps, with each step only to be introduced if it meets certain requirements based on the data. Read our article on how weddings are affected by each step of unlocking for more information on this.
10 Downing Street requests meeting with UK Weddings Taskforce
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
4th February 2021
10 Downing Street has requested a meeting with the UK Weddings Taskforce next week to discuss their support request. At that meeting, the Taskforce will also press for weddings to be included in roadmap announcements expected to be made by the Prime Minister in three weeks’ time.
Listen to the full Taskforce update on their latest IGTV post or read the update on the Taskforce website.
UK Weddings Taskforce: Over 80 MPs sign a letter in support of the Wedding Industry
84 cross-party MPs have signed a letter in support of the Wedding Industry. The letter calls for immediate sector support and a plan for reopening.
Read the full press release including the MPs letter or see more from the Taskforce on ukweddings.org.
Minister Paul Scully commits to assisting the Wedding Industry in being recognised in the Government's Roadmap.
3rd February 2021
84 cross-party MPs signed a letter addressed to Minister Paul Scully in support of the wedding industry and the ask the UK Weddings Taskforce has officially made of government. The UK Weddings Taskforce thanked those MPs in a social media post, tagging Minister Scully. He replied to the post with the following:
"Thanks for the message. I've seen the letter and will respond ASAP. I'm keen to get weddings included in the announcement too."
This commitment is a boost for businesses and couples across the country in the hopes the industry will receive more clarity from the government's unlocking roadmap which is due week-commencing 22nd February 2021.
Study shows Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine slows virus spread
3rd February 2021
A study has shown that the Oxford vaccine does slow the spread of Coronavirus. This is the first time any Covid vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of transmission. This news has been hailed as "superb" by Matt Hancock (Health Secretary).
Read more about this story via the BBC.
Scotland is trading freedom for international travel for “more domestic normality”
2nd February 2021
Anyone arriving in Scotland from outside the UK will need to go into supervised quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.
This approach has allowed life to go on almost as normal in countries like Cyprus and New Zealand. For those marrying in the UK and with a majority of guests being based in the UK, this could allow more freedoms for your wedding sooner, especially for couples marrying in Scotland.
Read more on this story via BBC News
Financial support for Scottish wedding businesses has been almost doubled
25th January 2o21
Speaking during her regular coronavirus briefing, and referring to the grants for Scottish wedding businesses being almost doubled from £15m to £25m, Nicola Sturgeon said:
"Businesses across Scotland have been badly hit by the pandemic, and one of the sectors which is most severely affected, is the wedding sector. Covid restrictions have caused many couples to postpone their weddings, or their wedding celebrations. And of course the only weddings that have proceeded, have been very small affairs. For that reason, we announced targeted support for the wedding sector in December.
I’m pleased to confirm today that applications for support will open on Thursday, and that the size of the support fund is being increased by £10 million - from £15 million to £25 million. The First Minister added: "Businesses involved in weddings employ thousands of people across the country, and of course they also plays an important part in ensuring that couples enjoy the wedding day of their dreams.
For both of these reasons, it’s important to ensure that the sector is able to operate once restrictions start to ease. I hope that this support provides some of the reassurance, and practical help, that enables that to happen."
Read more on this via the Scottish Government's website.
Have you spotted a positive news story you think should be featured? Send it to our team: marketing@guidesforbrides.co.uk.