Updated Guidance On Volunteering During the Pandemic

As we enter a second lockdown, existing GOV.UK guidance on volunteering during the pandemic has changed.

Here’s a summary of the changes:

• Where possible, people should volunteer from home. If they can’t, they can volunteer outside their home if they follow the social distancing guidance and no-one in their household has symptoms of coronavirus or has tested positive for coronavirus.
• People over the age of 60 and those who are clinically vulnerable do not face any specific restrictions on volunteering and should follow the same guidelines as above. However, as this group could be at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus, they may need additional support to follow social distancing rules and minimise contact with others.
• Clinically extremely vulnerable people can volunteer from home, however they are advised not to volunteer outside their home.
• Where volunteers are able to volunteer outside their home (see above) they can: meet in groups of any size indoors or outdoors while volunteering and travel to volunteer or while volunteering.
• Some volunteers will be classified as being in essential worker roles due to the nature of the services they are providing. Volunteers in essential worker roles are prioritised for coronavirus testing.
• Finally, volunteer-involving organisations must ensure their workplaces meet coronavirus safety standards.

For more information, see GOV.UK’s coronavirus volunteering guidance pages, Coronavirus: How to help safely and Coronavirus (COVID-19) volunteering, and there is new guidance available specifically for volunteer organisations and groups, here.