[7] Hundreds of protesters have been arrested for violating lockdown restrictions, social distancing measures and other public health laws.

[9] As the number of cases and deaths increased in the subsequent few months, the government enacted emergency powers on 19 March to introduce public health measures in an effort to control the spread of the virus.

[11] After the first nationwide lockdown ended, the government introduced localised tier regulations in England in areas with higher rates of COVID-19 infection and mandated face masks in certain settings across the country.

With health being devolved between the nations of the United Kingdom, authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have also introduced localised restrictions, including lockdowns, at different times throughout the pandemic.

[13] On 25 April, Corbyn made a speech to the 30 to 100 other protesters, where he denied the pandemic was occurring, and criticised public health measures.

[14] A group of around 20 people, which included some young children, held a peaceful protest and defied social distancing rules outside New Scotland Yard on 2 May.

[20][19] On Saturday, 16 May, 50 anti-lockdown and anti-vax protesters defied social-distancing rules at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, including Piers Corbyn.

[24][25][26] On 8 August 2020, more than 30 protests across the UK took place in support of National Health Service staff in response to the government not extending a planned pay rise to nurses.

[27][28] Thousands gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on 29 August as a part of the Unite for Freedom movement to protest against lockdown restrictions and the possibility of a mandatory vaccine.

[33] On the same day, NHS nurses protested in Trafalgar Square to demand a pay rise during the ongoing pandemic response.

One speaker, Daz Nez, sang a song with themes about the New World Order, anti-vaccines, anti-corporation, anti-government, anti-monarchy and anti-lockdown.

[41][42] Richard Tice, chairman of the Brexit Party, and a few dozen others led a small protest at an official wreath-laying ceremony at the Royal Artillery Memorial on Hyde Park Corner on Remembrance Sunday in defiance of regulations.

[56][57] Numerous demonstrations took place across the day in the city and were largely peaceful, including a march of hundreds of thousands of people which started at Parliament Square and reached as far west as Acton.

[63] On 26 June, group of protesters gathered outside the home of Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, shouting "murderer" and "traitor" through megaphones.

After Whitty was accosted in a public park the following day, the fourth harassment incident against him in recent months, it was announced he would be granted greater state protection.

NHS staff and activists demanded greater funding, wage increases and staffing, better working conditions and to end proposed privatisation of the service.

[66][67] On the weekend of 24–25 July 2021, protests broke out again in major cities in the United Kingdom such as London,[68] Leeds,[69] Manchester,[70] and Birmingham, due to people opposing vaccines, and proposed COVID passports.

[72][73][74][75] Hundreds of anti-vaccine protesters attempted to storm Television Centre, London on 9 August in opposition to coverage of the pandemic by BBC News.

[76][77] Thousands of protesters gathered in London on 18 December, many of whom opposed the introduction of vaccination passports for large venues in response to the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading across the UK.

[78] On 29 December, protesters in Milton Keynes stormed and vandalized an NHS COVID-19 testing centre, and disrupted a pantomime performance of Jack and the Beanstalk.