On Monday 29 March, The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Steps) (England) Regulations 2021 come into force.

Schedule 2 of the Regulations details the businesses that will be able to reopen under Step 2, which will be implemented no earlier than Monday 12 April. This includes holiday accommodation such as camping sites, caravan parks and touring sites, and other similar accommodation, such as log cabins and glamping sites.

Schedule 3 of the Regulations details further easing of restrictions under Step 3, which will be implemented no earlier than Monday 17 May, and may have an impact on holiday accommodation providers.

This guidance has been produced to provide operators of camping and caravan sites and similar accommodation some details on what is permitted under each Step, so they can plan and prepare for re-opening.

Holidays in the UK are going to be a very popular choice for many this year. Whilst this is good news for owners of holiday accommodation in Shropshire, very careful planning must be carried out to ensure that the increased number of visitors can be accommodated safely and in line with the regulations.

Any camping or caravan site planning to re-open under the Steps in the roadmap must have produced a COVID-19 risk assessment, identifying the risks which may be present and implementing sensible measures to control them. Guidance on carrying out a risk assessment can be found on the Government and Council’s website.

Step 2: No earlier than Monday 12 April

Examples of the types of accommodation that could re-open from this date are camping sites, static and touring caravan sites, glamping sites, log cabins or holiday chalets. You must consider the following points and ensure they are covered in your risk assessment:

• The only shared facilities which may be used by guests at a campsite, caravan park or similar accommodation are washing facilities (showers), toilets, water points and waste disposal points
• Shared facilities such as kitchens, sleeping areas and other indoor communal areas must remain closed
• Where accommodation is completely self-contained eg a static caravan which has its own cooking and washing facilities, bookings may only be taken for one household or support bubble
• If multiple parties book several units (eg two caravans), or request adjacent tent pitches, they must follow the same restrictions that would apply at home with regard to social contact, ie a single household or support bubble indoors; or a group of six people from different households outdoors or two households (a support bubble is treated as a single household). All guests should be reminded of the social contact rules at the point of booking
• Sites which have additional indoor facilities such as swimming pools, sports courts, gyms or other indoor leisure facilities may reopen them. Very careful consideration should be given to how they, and any associated equipment, will be managed and cleaned and how social contact rules will be maintained. These facilities can only be used by people on their own or from a single household or support bubble
• Sites with bars, restaurants, social clubs or cafes may re-open for service in outside areas and to serve takeaways, including alcohol. For premises that serve alcohol, customers will be required to order, be served and eat and drink whilst seated (full table service). For premises that do not serve alcohol, customers must remain seated outdoors when consuming their food and drink. Customers will only be allowed to use the toilets within these facilities if they are eating or drinking there. Guidance on what constitutes an outside area is available on the Council’s website.
• If you are a touring caravan site, ensure that you are aware of the maximum number of caravans permitted by your licence and stick to it at all times
• If you are tent camping site, ensure that you have planned your site to allow for adequate distancing between tents and guests, both for general health and safety purposes and to maintain adequate social distancing. Do not be tempted to overfill your site; this will lead to increased demand for facilities and an increased risk of spreading coronavirus, as well as higher risk in relation to other health and safety concerns such as fire safety

Step 3: No earlier than Monday 17 May

• From this date, groups of up to six people from different households or two households (a support bubble is treated as a single household), may mix indoors. Mixed household bookings may, therefore, be taken for accommodation such as static caravans and log cabins.  All guests must follow the same regulations that would apply at home with regard to social mixing, and should be reminded of the social contact rules at the point of booking
• Sites with bars, restaurants, social clubs or cafes may reopen for service indoors as well as outdoors. Full table service will still be required both indoors and outdoors unless the premises does not sell alcohol, in which case the customers must remain seated when consuming their food and drink.
• Shared facilities such as kitchens, sleeping areas and other communal indoor areas may reopen
• Operators must continue to ensure high levels of hygiene to reduce the spread of coronavirus and that normal health and safety measures across the site are maintained

Anyone who requires further advice on re-opening camping and caravan holiday accommodation, or guidance on carrying out their risk assessment, should contact the Council on advicecompliance@shropshire.gov.uk or 0345 678 9067.