Officials at the Tower of London are putting new government Covid regulations on ice for the coming winter.
Plans are under way for the historic moat round the world heritage castle to be turned into the annual winter ice rink.
The great freeze-over starts November 14 and keeps going three days into the New Year till January 3.
New public safety measures are being introduced this year to comply with Gold Standard for Covid-secure temporary ice rink attractions, which has been created by a consortium of industry experts.
“There’ll be hygiene standards fit for a king or queen,” a Tower Royal Palaces spokesman said.
“We want to make sure skaters enjoy the ice rink safely, with enhanced cleaning regimes and hand washing sanitation facilities available.”
Staggered skate sessions are being introduced to make sure fewer people are on the ice at any one time, while the ice rink is being made larger than previous years to give skaters even more “ice-olation” room.
But a heated area for spectators is also being laid on for others to soak up the festive atmosphere.
Tickets for The Tower’s ice rink-in-the-moat can be booked online from today, ready to open daily from November 14 (closed Christmas Day).
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