Christmas Covid: Who are you allowed to see?
At Christmas, coronavirus restrictions will be eased to allow people to mix with a slightly wider circle of family and friends. Across the UK, people will be able to form “bubbles” of three households over a five-day period
Who am I allowed to see?
Between December 23 and 27, three households will be allowed to form a temporary “Christmas bubble”. They can mix indoors and stay overnight. Northern Ireland has been granted a longer window of December 22-28, to allow time to travel between the nations.
Bubbles will be allowed to meet each other:
● In each other’s homes
● At a place of worship
● In an outdoor public space, or garden
The bubbles will be fixed, so you will not be able to mix with two households on Christmas Day and two different ones on Boxing Day. Households in your Christmas bubble can’t bubble with anyone else.
There will be no limit to the number of people in a household joining a bubble in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. But the Scottish government has said that Christmas bubbles should contain no more than eight people. Children under 12 will not count in the total.
In addition, the rules about what counts as a household will depend on where you are. In England if you have formed a support bubble with another household, that counts as one household, so you can join with two other households in a Christmas bubble.
People who are self-isolating should not join a Christmas bubble.
If someone tests positive, or develops coronavirus symptoms up to 48 hours after the Christmas bubble last met, everyone will have to self-isolate.
Where am I allowed to travel in the UK?
Travel restrictions will be lifted to allow people to visit their families anywhere in the UK.
But the government has warned that there will not be extra public transport laid on.
It has urged people to plan their travel in advance.
What are the rules for going to the pub or a restaurant?
You will not be allowed to go with your Christmas bubble to hospitality settings, such as pubs and restaurants, or to entertainment venues.
You can meet people outside your Christmas bubble, but only outside the home and in line with the tier rules of the area in
which you are staying.
Places you can meet include parks, beaches, open countryside, public gardens, allotments and playgrounds.