The provisions of the Coronavirus Act enabled the government to restrict or prohibit public gatherings, control or suspend public transport, order businesses such as shops and restaurants to close, temporarily detain people suspected of
COVID-19 infection, suspend the operation of ports and airports, temporarily close educational institutions and childcare premises, enrol medical students and retired healthcare workers in the health services, relax regulations to ease the burden on healthcare services, and assume control of death management in particular local areas. The government stated that these powers may be "switched on and off" according to the medical advice it receives. Powers were included to allow the government to reimburse to employers, the cost of
statutory sick pay for employees affected by COVID-19, and requiring supermarkets to report supply chain disruptions to the government. The act formally postponed the
local elections originally scheduled for May 2020 and granted the UK and relevant
devolved governments the power to postpone any other election, local referendum, or
recall petition until 6May 2021. Local councillors,
elected mayors and
Police and Crime Commissioners originally due for election in 2020 served three-year terms after their election in 2021, rather than the normal four years, in order to maintain the normal election cycle.
Time limit and renewal The act specified a
two-year time limit which could be shortened or lengthened by six months at ministerial discretion. The act was later amended to make it subject to parliamentary renewal every six months; This was followed on 29 May by the first two-monthly report, which gave for provisions not yet in force a brief explanation of the reason, and for those in force an outline of the extent to which the provision has been used. Further reports followed every two months. The fifteenth report in September 2022 was described as the final such report – the last two temporary provisions having expired on 24 September – although a number of permanent provisions remained in force.
Evolution and partial expiry By September 2020, the provisions addressing potential staff shortages in mental health services had not been used in England, and had only been commenced in part in Wales. An instrument to remove these provisions was laid before Parliament on 21 October and came into force on 9 December 2020. As part of the one-year review in March 2021, the government stated its intention to revoke twelve sections of the act and suspend three provisions. Changes were subsequently made via
statutory instrument. Several sections of the act were revoked early, on 17 July 2021, by The Coronavirus Act (Early Expiry) Regulations 2021, SI 2021/856. Further expiries came into force on 9 December 2021, bringing the number of expired provisions to 20. Many of the provisions expired automatically on 24 March 2022. Five provisions were amended by SI 2022/362 to expire six months later; these concern procedures for coroners' inquests (section 30), remote court hearings (53–55) and the waiting period before payment of Statutory Sick Pay in Northern Ireland (43). During those six months, the government intended to make the remote court powers permanent under the
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. ==Reception==