Background and Purpose: Restarting planned surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic is a clinical and societal priority, but it is unknown whether it can be done safely and include high-risk or complex cases. We developed a Surgical Prioritization and Allocation Guide (SPAG). Here, we validate its effectiveness and safety in COVID-free sites. Patients and Methods: A multidisciplinary Surgical Prioritisation Committee developed the SPAG, incorporating procedural urgency, shared decision making, patient safety and biopsychosocial factors; and applied it to 1142 adult patients awaiting orthopaedic surgery. Patients were stratified into four priority groups and underwent surgery at three COVID-free sites – including one with access to a High Dependency Unit (HDU) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and specialist resources. Safety was assessed by the number of patients requiring inpatient postoperative HDU/ICU admission, contracting COVID-19 within 14 days postoperatively, and mortality within 30 days postoperatively. Results: 1142 patients were included, 47 declined surgery. 110 were deemed high-risk or requiring specialist resources. In the 10-week study period, 28 high-risk patients underwent surgery, during which 68% of Priority 2 (P2, surgery within 1 month) patients underwent surgery, and 15% of P3 (<3 months) and 16% of P4 (>3 months) groups. Of the 1032 low-risk patients, 322 patients underwent surgery. Twenty-one P3 and P4 patients were expedited to ‘Urgent’ based on biopsychosocial factors identified by the SPAG. During the study period, 91% of the Urgent group, 52% of P2, 36% of P3, and 26% of P4 underwent surgery. No patients died or were admitted to HDU/ICU, or contracted COVID-19. Interpretation: Our widely generalisable model enabled the restart of planned surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, without compromising patient-safety or excluding high-risk or complex cases.