when was uk lockdown
The first UK-wide Covid lockdown began on 23 March 2020, when Boris Johnson announced a national “stay at home” order and closure of non-essential shops and venues.
Quick Scoop: When was UK lockdown?
The phrase “UK lockdown” usually refers to the first national Covid-19 lockdown during the pandemic.
- Date of announcement: 23 March 2020.
- Time of announcement: around 8:30 pm UK time in a televised address by Boris Johnson.
- Legal effect (England): regulations came into force on 26 March 2020.
- Main message: stay at home except for limited reasons like essential shopping, medical needs, work that couldn’t be done from home, and one form of daily exercise.
You’ll sometimes see slightly different dates mentioned because people either refer to the broadcast date (23 March) or the date the legal rules started (26 March), but 23 March 2020 is the one most commonly meant when people ask “when was UK lockdown?”.
A bit of timeline context
The first lockdown didn’t come out of nowhere; there were tightening steps just before it.
- 16 March 2020 – The public were advised to avoid non-essential travel and social contact and to work from home where possible.
- 18 March 2020 – Schools in the UK were told to close from 20 March except for key worker and vulnerable children.
- 20 March 2020 – Pubs, restaurants, cafes and similar venues were ordered to close.
- 23 March 2020 – First national lockdown announced; non-essential shops closed and strict stay-at-home rules introduced.
Later, there were further lockdowns and tier systems, but when people say “the UK lockdown” without specifying, they almost always mean that first one on 23 March 2020.
Key dates as a quick reference
| Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PM advises stopping non-essential contact | 16 March 2020 | First strong guidance to reduce social contact and travel. | [7][3]
| Schools told to close | 18 March 2020 (from 20 March) | Closed except for key worker and vulnerable children. | [3]
| Hospitality venues close | 20 March 2020 | Pubs, restaurants, cafes and similar ordered to shut. | [3]
| First UK lockdown announced | 23 March 2020 | Nationwide stay-at-home order; non-essential shops closed. | [1][5][9][3]
| Lockdown rules in law (England) | 26 March 2020 | Restrictions became legally enforceable via regulations. | [5][7]
Many forum and social media posts from 2021–2022 marked 23 March as the “lockdown anniversary”, reflecting how strongly that date stuck in public memory.
TL;DR: The UK’s first Covid lockdown is remembered as starting on 23 March 2020, when the Prime Minister told everyone to stay at home and non-essential businesses closed, with the legal rules following on 26 March.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.