The rule of six is a social nightmare for large families like mine

When the “rule of six” was first announced, some po-faced commentator said, “I can’t imagine who has been meeting in groups of more than six since March, anyway? It is a pandemic…”

I have, is the answer. Because I am part of a family of six, with four children between the ages of 8 and 17.

It’s not just Christmas that the government has cancelled, but nearly every social gathering that we had planned between Monday and ... who knows when? At least the original lockdown legislation, rushed through in March, included a stipulation that the rules had to be revisited every 21 days. As yet, we have no promise that the latest curtailment of our freedom won’t be indefinite.

I don’t want to go to a rave in Bolton. But I would like to see some friends. From next week that won’t be possible for the simple reason that we tend to socialise as a family.

We always have done, but especially after lockdown, when we had glimpsed no one else except an Ocado delivery driver. It was a blessed relief to be allowed to spend time with old friends, whose children have grown up with ours, holidayed together, quarrelled and broken bread over the same table. The two-household rule had a logic to it – reducing social contact, while allowing a semblance of normality.

We have, in fact, been into no more than four different homes since lockdown eased in May. And one of those is my parents’. I can say with some confidence that the Wallop family is not responsible for infections increasing across the UK. And I should make clear that I am not a Covid-denier; this is a serious disease that should be taken seriously.

But any legislation needs to be proportionate. The figure of six appears to have been plucked out of thin air. As if no one can possibly have more than three children.

Office for National Statistics figures suggest that about 4 per cent of parents in this country have four or more children – yes, small in percentage terms, but that’s still 750,000 families.

The rule of six is being introduced in England, the Government is happy to admit, precisely because it is a blunt, crude measure – but an easily understood one. In Scotland and in Wales there is some nuance: children under 12 do not count towards the six-person limit (and in Wales the limit only applies indoors), which seems much more sensible.

The rule has already made an impact. A small first Holy Communion celebration has had to be cancelled – no room for any godparent. An 18th birthday will be a dismal affair without even a cousin or token grandparent; who knows what we will do for Christmas or New Year?

Government ministers insist this is not a return to lockdown. Well, if you have four children, it is. We are back to being stuck in our home. And it sucks.

follow Harry Wallop on Twitter @hwallop; read more at telegraph.co.uk/opinion