Under the new coronavirus lockdown legislation, UK citizens are prohibited from engaging in sexual activities with individuals outside of their own household.
Effective from Monday, June 1, the UK government introduced measures that prevent people from socializing indoors with individuals not part of their household.
The new regulation states, ‘No person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public or private place indoors, and consists of two or more persons.’
Prior to this, entering another person’s home would constitute a breach of lockdown rules; however, under the new amendment to The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations 2020 bill, both individuals could face prosecution.
According to the new rules, only those with ‘reasonable excuses’ are permitted to meet privately indoors, excluding sex as a valid reason.
Reasonable excuses include activities such as jogging or exercising for elite athletes, assisting vulnerable people, movement of essential workers, private childcare, separated parents visiting their children, providing emergency assistance, and attending funerals.
Police forces in the UK have been instructed to disperse large groups and use fines and arrests as a last resort. However, they are not empowered to forcibly remove individuals and cannot enter private premises to enforce the new guidelines.
These regulations follow a study by researchers at the universities of Anglia Ruskin and Ulster, which revealed that six out of 10 Britons have refrained from sexual activity during the lockdown.