As a hobby beekeeper, you don?t need to put bait hives out. Just put them near where you live to stay out of trouble. That way you can check them more often too.
Bees are livestock, so it?s essential that you look after them, but once every couple of weeks should do it in winter.
I saw a post today, where alleged beekeepers are trying to get around the restrictions by claiming they have a hive way away. Guess the authorities heard it all by now.
If you are properly registered, you should be able to get permission.
As a beekeeper working around bees in a bee suit, you are pretty socially distanced. 😶