As of 30th March, all Register Offices in England & Wales closed. The Emergency Coronavirus Bill came into effect which allowed for registration of deaths and still births to be completed over the phone. This allowed for a focus on the registration of excess deaths caused by Covid-19. All other services, such as marriages, civil partnerships and birth registrations were suspended by the Government.
The most recent Government announcement allows wedding ceremonies and civil partnerships to resume from 4th July. Before resuming any face to face appointments, the building must be made Covid Compliant and work is now underway to make this happen. The Registry Office at Nightingale House is in the process of having Perspex screens installed, signage and social distance markers. Wall hand sanitisers have already been installed in the reception area and at the exit, and there is now a one-way system in place.
The General Register Office are liaising closely with the National Panel for Registration and Marriages Recovery sub-group to provide further advice and guidance to the Registration Services in the coming days, but as lockdown eases, we will now see a return to these services soon.
