Let’s get the fine print out of the way. This is not an article telling you what you should or shouldn’t do during this lockdown.

We’re not in a position to make recommendations to freelancers or clients about how they choose to run their businesses. This article aims to provide freelancers with guidelines and links to helpful resources to enable them to make informed decisions.  

We’ve extracted the main points from the various sectors that the majority of our members fall under. As we support over 20 different disciplines, 80 sub-disciplines and multiple nuanced professions in each sector, this guide won’t cover everyone’s specific circumstances, but attempts to provide a framework for each freelancer to figure out their own situation. 

To help you quickly determine if you're able to provide your service, we’ve bullet-pointed what we believe to be the key points affecting freelancers and have included relevant links which freelancers can explore to find out more about their specific situations. 

Leaving home

Here is a quick recap of the general guidelines we are all encouraged to follow. You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. However, you may leave the home to:

• Shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

• Go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

• Exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person (in which case you should stay 2m apart). Exercise should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area

• Meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you’re legally permitted to form one

• Seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

• Attend education or childcare - for those eligible

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay in your local area - unless it’s necessary to go further, for example to go to work.

If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you are advised to only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential to do so. We recommend that you do not attend work.

Going to work

You can only leave home for work purposes:

• Where it’s unreasonable for you to do your job from home. This includes, but is not limited to, people who work within critical national infrastructure, construction or manufacturing that require in-person attendance 

• If you cannot reasonably work from home in order to help reduce the spread of the virus and protect others.

• If you cannot work from home you should continue to travel to your workplace. 

• You do not need to be classed as a critical worker to go to work if you cannot work from home.

• Where people cannot work from home, employers/clients should take steps to make their workplaces COVID-19 secure and help employees/freelancers avoid busy times and routes on public transport. Extra consideration should be given to those people at higher risk. COVID-19 secure guidelines are available for sectors across the economy to substantially reduce the risk of transmission.

Businesses and venues which must close

To reduce social contact, the regulations require some businesses and facilities to close and impose restrictions on how some businesses provide goods and services. This will directly and indirectly impact freelancers. 

The full list of businesses required to close can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England, but includes:

• Entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls and galleries 

• Personal care facilities such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons. Tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services must also close. Those who provide personal care services from a mobile setting including their own home, in other people’s homes and in retail environments (such as a concession in a larger, separate business) must also stop operating

Some businesses and venues are permitted to stay open but only for a small number of exempt activities. A full list of exemptions can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England and other resources. For example, freelancers can continue to work and venues can remain open in the following cases:

• For elite sports persons to train and compete (in indoor and outdoor sports facilities), and professional dancers and choreographers to work (in fitness and dance studios)

• For training and rehearsal without an audience (in theatres and concert halls)

• For the purposes of film and TV filming

• Those providing their services in a professional capacity as part of those sectors that remain open can continue to operate. For example, make-up artists in film and TV production, and on fashion shoots. However, these services cannot be carried out in premises required to close

• In line with The Association of Photographers advice, hire studios and production venues can remain open. For more information, they recommend photographers to check out this page

Businesses and venues which can remain open

A small number of businesses and venues are permitted to stay open, following COVID-19 secure guidelines. Businesses providing essential goods and services can stay open and the full list of these businesses can be found in the guidance on closing certain businesses and venues in England.

Performing Arts

Those working in the performing arts, including arts organisations, venue operators and participants, should adhere to the following guidelines:

• Performing arts professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes

• Other than for this purpose, theatres, concert halls, grassroots music venues and entertainment venues must close. Professional dancers may continue to use dance studios

• Non-professional activity, such as amateur choirs and orchestra, cannot take place

• Indoor and outdoor performances with an audience cannot take place

For more details on working in the performing arts sector at present please see the official government guidelines on the performing arts.

Make up artists

• Those who provide personal care services from a mobile setting including their own home, in other people’s homes and in retail environments (such as a concession in a larger, separate business) must stop operating.

• Those providing their services in a professional capacity as part of those sectors that remain open can continue to operate. For example, make-up artists in film and TV production, and on fashion shoots. However, these services cannot be carried out in premises required to close. 

• Under the performing arts guidelines, where performers cannot do their own hair and makeup, makeup artists must follow  the government guidance on working in close contact settings.

Other People's Homes

• You can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home.

• Where it is necessary for you to work in other people’s homes - for example, for nannies, cleaners or tradespeople - you can do so. Otherwise, you should avoid meeting for work in a private home or garden, where COVID-19 Secure measures may not be in place.

Click here to read more on the government's guidance around working from other people’s homes during the lockdown.

Close contact services

• You can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home. Close contact services are required to close

• Those who provide close contact services from a mobile setting including their own home, in other people’s homes and in retail environments (such as a concession in a larger, separate business) must also stop operating. Businesses may continue to sell retail goods (such as shampoo or beauty products) online or via click-and-collect.

• Those providing their services in a professional capacity as part of those sectors that remain open can continue to operate. For example, make-up artists in film and TV production, and on fashion shoots. However, these services cannot be carried out in premises required to close.

See this page for more information on the government's guidelines around the provision of close contact services. 

Weddings, civil partnerships and religious services

• Under Tier 4 restrictions, events like weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are not permitted to take place, with the exception of couples where one person is very ill and not expected to recover. In these exceptional circumstances, it seems that it’s permissible for professional photographers to travel to such events and they will not count towards the limit of six permitted guests.

See the government’s guidelines on weddings, civil partnerships and celebrations and The Royal Photographic Society website for more information. 

Working in Offices

• You can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home.

• Offices and contact centres can open, if they’re COVID-secure.

• Currently, you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home. Office workers who can work from home should do so. Public sector employees working in essential services, including education settings, should continue to go into work where necessary. Anyone else who cannot work from home should go to their place of work.

For more information about working in offices during the lockdown see the government's guidance on working in offices and contact centres .

While we understand that the government’s guidance can be confusing, repetitive and rather contradictory at times, we hope that the information provided in this article gives freelancers a clearer idea as to what they can and cannot do during this lockdown.

We encourage the freelancers who are permitted to work at present to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those they're working with during this precarious period. 

Stay safe and be good to others.

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