What are rules on support bubbles over Christmas? HOW RELAXED RESTRICTIONS
WORK WITH EXISTING BUBBLES
A RELAXATION of the coronavirus rules over Christmas are a welcome relief for many who plan to spend the festive season with their extended family.
For five days between Wednesday, December 23, and Sunday, December 27, up to three households can meet indoors to enjoy present swapping, Christmas dinner and family time – without any restrictions.
But while the general rules allow three households to meet, they get a bit more complicated when you have support bubbles and childcare bubbles involved.
For the purposes of Christmas, a support bubble counts as one household, therefore, if three households which have each joined another household to form a support bubble all meet, it means in total there will be six households legally joining up for Christmas dinner.
But unlike a support bubble counting as one household for the purpose of Christmas, a childcare bubble counts as two households.
Below are the rules explained in full. A Christmas bubble can gather in private homes, outdoor public spaces, or places of worship together – but not the pub.
Under a Christmas plan, lockdown rules across the UK will be partially suspended for five days and replaced with one set of national, Uk-wide rules.
Everyone in the bubble can stay in any of those three houses, and go to outdoor public spaces like parks and places of worship together.
Time-limited and last between December 23 and 27 inclusive.
Each Christmas bubble will be “fixed” and exclusive – you can’t be in more than one Christmas bubble.
People whose households are already joined together in a support bubble count as one household for the purposes of Christmas.
Support bubbles can only be between one house and another single-adult household, which means a potential three extra people for Christmas lunch.
The official guidance says: “Existing support bubbles count as one household towards the three household limit.
“This means that if you are in a support bubble, you can collectively form a Christmas bubble with two other households. This applies only to support bubbles as set out in law.
“You should, however, consider the risks of doing so and keep your Christmas bubble as small as possible.”
Unlike a support bubble a childcare bubble counts as two of three households for the purpose of Christmas.
It is because the Government expects only the children to mix for the purposes of childcare, and so if the whole family intends to mix, it would count as two households.
The guidance says: “Between December 23 and December 27, you can continue to use a childcare bubble, but only if reasonably necessary for the purposes of childcare and where there are no reasonable alternatives.
“If you want to meet socially with the other household in your childcare bubble, you should include them in your Christmas bubble.
“You and the other your childcare bubble as two households three household limit bubbles.” household in would count towards the for Christmas