Take our quiz: how much do you remember about the UK’s Covid restrictions?

A man wearing a face mask walks past a poster urging people to wear face coverings in Manchester. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Covid changed so many lives for ever, with people losing loved ones, livelihoods, and missing out on witnessing births, deaths and marriages. But for others, less directly affected, the public health measures we all lived under have faded into a blur. Take our test to see how much you can remember about the Covid restrictions that were placed across the UK between March 2020 and … well, that is question one.

1. 

   When did Boris Johnson announce in parliament that he was lifting all remaining Covid restrictions in England for good?

   1. November 2021

   2. January 2022

   3. February 2022

   4. April 2022

2. 

   And when did all Covid restrictions come to an end in Scotland?

   1. January 2022

   2. March 2022

   3. June 2022

   4. Not yet – there are still some rules in force

3. 

   Wales dropped its final Covid restriction on 30 May 2022. What was it?

   1. The legal requirement to wear a face covering in health and social care settings

   2. The legal requirement to wear a face covering on public transport

   3. The legal requirement to wear a face covering in education settings

   4. The legal requirement to wear a face covering when working in hospitality settings

4. 

   OK, now back to the beginning. What date did lockdown begin in the UK, when Boris Johnson said "From this evening, I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home."

   1. 22 February 2020

   2. 16 March 2020

   3. 23 March 2020

   4. 11 April 2020

5. In July 2020, England introduced its first "local lockdown". Where?

   1. Birmingham

   2. Manchester

   3. Wigan

   4. Leicester

6. 

   On which days did the "Eat out to help out" scheme operate?

   1. Weekends

   2. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

   3. Every weekday (except bank holidays)

   4. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

7. 

   Which nation of the UK at one point specifically prohibited dancing?

   1. England

   2. Northern Ireland

   3. Scotland

   4. Wales

8. When did England introduce the "rule of six", which meant that six individuals from up to six households could meet again?

   1. September 2020

   2. November 2020

   3. February 2021

   4. April 2021

9. 

   You could be fined £100 for breaching the "rule of six" in England on the first occasion, but fines doubled up for subsequent offences. What was the maximum cap for the fine you could get when the policy was explained by Priti Patel on the UK government website?

   1. £1,600

   2. £2,600

   3. £3,200

   4. £6,400

10. What was the near-equivalent to England's "rule of six" under Scotland's anti-Covid measures?

    1. The rule of four

    2. The rule of five

    3. The rule of seven

    4. The rule of eight

11. In May 2021, England lifted the legal limit on the number of mourners who could attend a funeral. What had it been restricted to?

    1. 20

    2. 30

    3. 40

    4. 50

12. 

    Scotland eventually settled on a policy where the country was divided into different rules depending on the prevailing level of Covid infection. They were called …

    1. Tiers

    2. Levels

    3. Grades

    4. Bands

13. 

    England entered a third national lockdown on 6 January 2021, just days after restrictions had been softened for the festive period. How many households were allowed to mix over how many days during Christmas 2020 in England?

    1. Five households over three days

    2. Four households over four days

    3. Three households over five days

    4. Four households over six days

14. 

    Which item of food became the subject of heated debate among British government ministers, including Michael Gove, as to whether it counted as a "substantial meal" or not?

    1. Scotch Egg

    2. Sausage Roll

    3. A serving of three Chicken Wings

    4. A packet of Scampi Fries

Solutions

1:C - It was on 21 February this year that Johnson said all restrictions would be lifted., 2:B - Covid restrictions in Scotland ended on 21 March 2022., 3:A - The Welsh Government continues to recommend people take steps to protect their health including wearing face coverings in health settings, but the legal requirement has ended. , 4:C - Johnson issued the "stay at home" instruction on 23 March. At times, however, in order to argue that the government moved faster than it did, Conservative MPs have claimed that lockdown started on 16 March 2020 when Matt Hancock said in parliament that “unnecessary social contact” should be avoided. In truth, it was not until 23 March that Johnson changed "should" to "must", and the laws to enact it did not come into effect until 1pm on 26 March., 5:D - Non-essential shops, which had only been allowed to reopen earlier in the month as part of lockdown easing had to shut again, and the city did not enjoy the easing of restrictions that followed on 4 July when pubs were allowed to reopen., 6:D - You could get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner) every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August as many times as you liked., 7:B - All of them banned dancing effectively at some point with the closure of gigs and nightclubs, but in Northern Ireland in December 2021 hospitality venues were allowed to open if they provided table service, with up to six people sitting at a table, but dancing was prohibited, unless it was at a wedding., 8:A - It replaced the previous guidance on no more than two households meeting indoors., 9:C - In an article published on the UK government website, Patel wrote that for people in England "Police will be able to disperse any such gatherings and fine individuals involved £100, doubling up to a maximum of £3,200.", 10:D - The near-equivalent in Scotland was eight people from three households being allowed to mix., 11:B - The rule change meant that capacity could be determined by how many people venues such as places of worship or funeral homes could safely accommodate while maintaining social distancing, rather than having a maximum legal ceiling., 12:B - England had tiers, Scotland went with levels., 13:C - On 16 December Boris Johnson said "a smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas, and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas" while saying to the nation that "When we say three households can meet on five days, I want to stress these are maximums, not targets to aim for.", 14:A - It was the humble scotch egg. George Eustice originally argued it was "more of a starter" and so might not count, but eventually changed his mind, although offering his opinion that he'd need more than one. For his part, Michael Gove argued that the concept of the substantial meal had existed in law for many years, allowing families to buy 16-year-olds an alcoholic drink with food, but he could not say what it constituted. “They [pubs] already do know what the rules are and they have for years now,” he said, without much conviction.

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   Thank you for doing the quiz